A Taste of His World
by SoftTeardrops7x
Summary: Courtney has always followed the rules, and has never been less than perfect. But what happens when she accidentally lands in Juvie? Please R & R!
1. Horrible Beginning

**Hey People! I had this idea for quite a long time and I've finally decided to put it in writing.**

**I'm really sorry if some of the legal stuff in here is wrong, I'm not really good with law. But otherwise, enjoy! Disclaimer: I dont own TDI or TDA or any of these characters. :D  
**

**Oh and in this story TDI never happened. Courtney and Duncan meet a slightly different way...  
**

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She didn't know what profound reason caused her to be walking home so late. Courtney had met a couple of friends for dinner around 7, and enjoyed herself thoroughly. So thoroughly, in fact, that her clock had suddenly said 11pm that she had forgotten all about the AP History exam she had the next day. Furthermore, she had declined a ride from one of her companions, and opted to take the walking route back to her house.

The realization that, somehow, this might not have been the best choice to make, only hit her when she was half way home. For some reason, Courtney couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being followed.

_Oh great job, idiot_, she chided herself, _that was one __**brilliant**__ decision. I hope you realize that if someone murders you, you'll never be able to run for Secretary! _

She pushed that thought as far away in her mind as she could, and hoped that she was, once again, just overreacting.

However, 5 minutes later, the wave of apprehensiveness had not subsided in the least. If anything, it had gotten stronger. Only a few moments had passed before she thought she heard somewhat of a scraping sound on the pavement behind her. She froze. Cautiously, she threw a glance over her shoulder, but saw nothing. She attempted to force herself to calm down, but her strides lengthened as she hurried to get home.

All of a sudden she felt something strong grab her from behind, restricting all her movements. Swiveling her head around, in hopes of seeing her captor, Courtney let out a piercing shriek. What she saw was a giant bloody clown mask similar to the ones kids wore on Halloween. Courtney trashed her arms and legs violently, desperately trying to free herself, but the man held on. She couldn't help but feel his muscular build from underneath his dark shirt, which made her even more petrified.

"Ah, uh, babe," he said, reaching into his pants pocket with one hand, "you don't wanna be doing that," his hand came up with a blade shining in the murky street-lamp light.

Immediately Courtney stiffened. She saw a smirk playing on the idiot's lips.

"Let me go, you pig!" She spat.

"Not likely, sweetheart. First, why don't you give me the money."

Courtney snorted in response, but wasn't able to swallow her stubbornness, "No!"

She continued to struggle to get away from the stranger, all the while cringing away from the sight of his mask. She had hated clowns since she was little and the sight of the fake blood was really getting to her.

"Aren't you forgetting something, dollface? I'm the one with the knife," he taunted, "Now, let's just both cooperate and we wont have any problems."

Courtney considered her options. She could give in and give him all the money she had stashed in her Gucci wallet, or she could attempt to make a run for it whereby she would risk her life. A plan began to formulate in her head as she decided upon the later.

Letting out one last scream, Courtney used all her force and swiveled around to face her attacker. Her knee swiftly and forcefully made contact with the one place guys never want it to make contact with and he bent over in visible pain. On one last note, Courtney dug her nails deep into the other hand of the attacker, making a long scratch, oozing with blood.

Once she was finally free, she ran as fast as she could wearing 3 inch heeled Vuitton boots, hiding behind some tall buildings, panting. She felt a great sense of accomplishment for injuring the idiot who dared to grab her.

_Hah! That scoundrel had it coming for him! _

However, that feeling very soon diminished when she realized that her plan was not well formed after the 'get away' part. Looking around, Courtney realized that there was no way she could outrun him. He was sure to get his hands on her again if she tried, and something made her think he wasn't going to make it easy the second time. Frantically, she searched for an exit. She could already hear his footsteps along the pavement and hear his low voice calling her.

"Oh, sweetheart..." he drawled out, "I know you're here! Come out come out, wherever you are!"

The young CIT heard trash-cans being kicked over, indicating that he was coming closer to her hiding spot. Her breath became shallow, and her heart-rate sped up.

Swiveling her head in all directions, she caught glance of a car. It was old, had its pain-peeling, and rusting, but it did appear to have the keys still in the ignition. She crept over as silently as she could, wondering if the owner had been there just moments ago.

_And why the hell couldn't he have called the police when he heard me screaming?!_

Upon reaching the car, she grinned at the keys that really were already in the ignition. Courtney didn't have a driver's license, but the car wasn't a stick shift, and she figured it wouldn't be too hard to control.

Quickly she got in and accelerated just as the ugly clown head rounded the corner. A scream escaped her lips as she pushed the pedal fully down and sped away, missing the man just barely.

A small warning voice called in the back of her head that she should probably mind the speed limits and slow down, but there was a much stronger voice saluting her braveness and ability to get out of such a situation alive. The bigger voice also told her to not stop for anything and just keep going faster. She was very much surprised at how simple it was for her to steer and maintain a steady route on the vehicle.

In the end, reality made her slow down when she pictured what her prestigious school and friends would think if they saw her driving around like this, breaking the law, in a stolen vehicle. Not to mention her parents, who would probably freak out at the sight of their usually perfect daughter.

She felt a huge pang of relief when she saw police lights in her rear-view mirror.

_Oh! Thank God! What took them so long? Finally, someone reasonable who can help me._

Courtney immediately pulled over, waiting for the cop to reach her.

"Officer! I am so glad your here," she said as he approached her window cautiously.

"Well I'm not! Now get outta the car young lady, you are in some serious trouble." The officer looked like a prison guard. He was very muscular and rough looking. His eyes flashed dangerously. The light reflected off his dark skin and startlingly white teeth, making the gap between his two front teeth stand out even more.

"What?!" Demanded a shocked Courtney stepping out of the beat up, old Mustang, "I just narrowly escaped possible death!"

"Yea yea...I'm sure you did," he rolled his eyes.

Courtney's face was aghast, "No! I'm serious! Make a thorough search of the alley I was in just minutes ago! There was a man there wearing a clown mask. He tried to rob me! You cannot possibly be accusing _me_ of doing something wrong!"

The officer scowled, "Matter of fact, you did do somethin' wrong, miss! You were speeding at 80mph on a 45mph road!!" He was practically yelling now, "And might you have any ID on you?"

"Uh..ID?" Courtney asked, confused. She had her business card, school library card, normal library card, and Student Government card on her. Those could all technically be considered ID.

"Yes, miss," the cop growled impatiently, "ID. A Drivers License?"

Courtney looked down, ashamed, but still fuming. Wasn't committing a minor crime better than being killed? "No... I had to escape as quickly as I could!"

"Tsk," His eyes narrowed as he approached her car, and looked inside the open window. He sniffed the air in the car a couple of times and his face turned even more furious than before, "Are you in the possession of any illegal drugs, miss?"

"What?" Courtney asked in complete shock, "No! Of course not!"

The cop pulled out his two way radio, "Send in the dog."

A moment later, another cop appeared out of the police car, holding a dark German Shepherd on a leash. The dog was lead towards the car and it expectantly started sniffing. It's loud bark penetrated the silence as it began to poke his nose towards the dashboard. The first cop opened the dash board and pulled out a small bag of white, powdery drugs.

"You mean to tell me that driving a car with out any license, with illegal drugs in your possession is 'not doing anything wrong'?" His stare was deathly.

"What the fu- this isn't even my car!!"

"Oh, so you stole the car too?"

"I had to get away from an attacker! The car was standing there with the keys in the ignition. What the hell was I supposed to do? Just stand there and let his rob me? This is insane!"

"Turn around, miss. Your going to the Cold Creek Juvenile Hall for delinquents," He put a pair of handcuffs around her wrists and proceeded to recite the Miranda rights.

"Delinquents?! I am not a delinquent! Ugh! You will be hearing from my lawyers! This cannot be possible! I have an AP History exam tomorrow!" She was beyond hysterics. How could this be happening? She had a perfect record. She never did anything wrong or illegal in her life! Courtney could already see her dreams of Harvard, slipping away towards oblivion.

Courtney was roughly shoved into the police car and driven down to Cold Creek Juvenile Hall, her hyperventilating the entire way.

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**Ok! That's a wrap for the first Chapter!**

**Please review. Tell me if you hate it or love it or anything else.**

**Thanks! ~ xo**


	2. Observations

**Hi Again! I wrote this chapter quickly today and decided to just post it since I had the time. Thanks so so much to _xXErineilXx_ and _totaldramadc_ who reviewed. :D**

**Disclaimer: Again, I don't own TDI or anything else, as much as I want to**.

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As the cops drove Courtney to Cold Creek Juvenile Hall, she had a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was definitely forboding. She was still exasperated by what had happened.

The inside of CCJH was nothing like Courtney had imagined. She had thought that the maintenance workers would have at least attempted to make the place a little cheerful. Maybe some pictures or plants here and there, reminding the prisoners to stay cheerful, even in the face of adversity.

Although she wasn't entirely wrong, the small room in the front of the building, which served as sort of a waiting room, did have some fake plants hanging from the ceiling. However, beyond that point, there were simply cells, a rec center, a cafeteria, and an outside area complete with a cracked blacktop, rusty broken down bleachers, and baring grassy area. All were fenced in (naturally).

The scenery wasn't what shocked Courtney the most though, she didn't think prison was the type of place in which people cared about the environment to begin with. Seeing the inmates is what caused her want to cower in fear.

There were large guys doing pull-ups on bars that were in their cells. Most had at least 3 major tattoos and were extremely muscular. They looked at her out of their cells in curiosity. No doubt wondering what a girl like Courtney was doing in a place like this. Some were leering and calling out rude and inappropriate comments.

_What immature, cretins! Has no one ever taught them of the proper way to talk to people?_

There were also girls with too many piercings to count and hair in the most unnatural colors. They all had what seemed to be permanent scowls planted on their faces, which didn't make Courtney feel entirely welcome. She supposed it didn't matter since she wasn't planning on staying here for long at all.

"You'll stay here until we can contact your lawyer and decide upon a court case date," sneered the guard, "Make yourself at home. You wont be going anywhere any time soon."

"Wait! I atleast get my own cell right?" Courtney questioned. Then, after a pause she added with disgust, "Oh God, they're not co-ed are they?"

"This is a 70-bed facility. We're already overflowing with 95 inmates. _No_ you're _not_ getting your own cell!"

The thought of having to share a cell with one of the scornful 'girls' made Courtney want to puke.

The guard was already leading her the nearest set of bars.

"But wait! Don't I get my one phone call now?" Cried Courtney in an act of desperation to stall.

The look of strong annoyance passed over the guards face, "Fine. You have 10 minutes."

Courtney was then brought over to the small phone booth and handed the receiver. The took it gingerly, images of how many sweaty, gross, palms had touched it before her.

_Oh, I wish I had my purse and my disinfecting wipes right now!_

She proceeded to dial her lawyers number.

_Pick up Michael. Dammit, pick up!_

After 4 rings, a low male voice could be heard on the other line.

"Hello?" He asked.

"Michael! I'm so glad you're there. Listen I really really need your help."

"Uh...Courtney can we do this a little later please, I'm with a very important client right now."

"What?" Courtney asked furious, "No! No we cannot do this 'a little later.' I'm in Juvie, Michael. Me! In Juvie!"

"...What did you do?"

"Well it wasn't my fault, obviously," Courtney rushed to explain everything that had happened to her earlier that night, but Michael cut her off impatiently.

"Look, I'm sure this is very upsetting right now, but I simply don't have time to do this at the moment. I will come down there as soon as I can. But for now, take it easy, Courtney."

"Take it easy?! What do you propose I do? Stay here?"

"Exactly. Sit tight. Don't cause anymore trouble. Now, I have to go. I'll see you later."

"What kind of a lawyer are you? You're supposed to help me and all you can do it put it off until 'later'? I'm twice as important as your other damn client! I can't stay here! Hello? HELLO?!" She finally realized that the line had gone dead quite a while ago.

"Time's up. Let's go," the gruff security officer put the handcuffs back on Courtney and led her towards her new 'room'.

As they walked back. Another person was being shoved down the long narrow hall way. He had a Mohawk and the top of it was dyed green. He had piercings in his eyebrow and ears, wore a spike collar and had a subtle goatee.

As he passed by, the other inmates cheered and called after him.

"Ey! Duncan! Welcome back, bro! Hey ya'll Duncan's back!"

The young man smirked and replied, "Thanks man. Can't say I missed it though," he grimaced at his last statement as the guard who was beside him pushed him forward, forcefully, "hey, watch it, dude! And what the hell happened to Jeremy, my old parole officer?" Duncan rolled his eyes.

Something about his voice was strangely familiar to Courtney, although she was sure she had never seen him in her life.

She was distracted from her thoughts when the officer pushed her into a cell.

Looking around, Courtney saw two metal bunkbeds. On top of one, a Goth looking girl was laying, staring at her. Her hair was a mixture of black and teal, but it wasn't bright neon like some of the other girls' and her expression wasn't too terrifying. Maybe they could even be friends. Courtney scoffed at the idea.

_I'm not staying here long enough to have **friends**! Why would anyone want to? I just hope Michael hurries up and drags his sorry ass over here to get me out._

Courtney sighed. Well, it could be worse. She could be one of the unlucky inmates who got to sleep on the floor because of the bed shortages. All she could do now is put on a grin and bear it. After all, that's what an outstanding CIT would do.

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**Thanks for reading! Please review! I wonder who her room-mate could be :o **

**~xo**


	3. Unexpected Friend

**Yay! 3rd Chapter! But I am getting serious, serious writer's block. If anyone has any suggestions whatsoever please mention them to me! I'm also not sure about how In Character my characters are, and I'm especially nervous about Duncan coming off as too nice, or too mean, or watever. **

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Taking in her surroundings, Courtney saw white walls, a floor with some kind of dark gray carpets on it and two metal bunkbeds with blue faux-leather mattresses and dark green pillows. Overtop, laid matching dark green covers. None of the items looked like they cost over $10, excluding the bunkbeds. There were no windows, and a small toilet stood in the back corner of the room attached to a sink with a small mirror above it. In addition, there was a small, white desk, leaning slightly to one side, with two chairs.

_Ew, everything here is so unsanitary! Do I really have to sleep on that? It looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years!_

Courtney looked at the girl sitting on one of the top bunks. She hesitated, wondering if it was really necessary to introduce herself. Her previous CIT-like attitude had melted away with alarming pace. Luckily, she didn't have to make the first move, the girl approached her first.

"So, fresh meat, huh?" She said jokingly, "I'm Gwen," she stuck out her hand for Courtney to shake.

"Uh...hi. I'm Courtney," she shook it awkwardly.

Gwen laughed, "Well, Courtney, make yourself at home. This place definitely takes some getting used to, but once you do, it's not that bad, and trust me, you could've gotten it much worse. I mean, look at those guys over there," she pointed to a cell roughly diagonal from theirs, "Yea, overflowing prisons, suck.

In it, there was only one bed, and 2 sleeping bags, but 3 inmates. All three were facing each other angrily and shouting. They looked about ready to beat each others' brains out, no doubt about who would get the bed for that night, but Courtney couldn't really blame them. After all, she wouldn't want to sleep on the cold, stiff carpet either.

"Oh, um, well I'm exactly not planning for staying here long. Just until my lawyer sorts things out and gets me out of this place, which should be any day now, really," Courtney tried to make her voice sound confident, but it came out nervous and unsure.

Her roommate smirked, looking at the girl almost in pity, "Sure, sure, that's what all the newcomers think. But, let's just say this place has a way of...growing on you. Rarely do people end up leaving."

This troubled Courtney.

_But Michael's different, _she reasoned_, He has to fight until he wins this case and proves me innocent. He has to __**and**__ he's going to._

"Oh.. So uh, if you don't mind my asking, how long have you been in here?"

"Nine months and counting," Gwen said in a tone that sounded almost proud.

"W-What did you do?" She asked tentatively, scared of Gwen's response.

"Now, _that_, is for me to know, and for no one else here to find out," After a pause she suddenly looked grim, and added, "Just know that everything I did had a reason, Courtney, so if you do somehow find out, just remember that much, and don't let other people's judgements sway yours."

Courtney's eyes widened, slightly, as she imagined all the horrible things Gwen could be referring to with that statement. Could they have paired her with a crazed murderer as a roommate?

Gwen noticed Courtney's change of expression but said nothing, simply returning to her upper bunk. She was so used to people's frigid reactions when she refused to tell them the crimes she had committed. Her cellmate's look didn't faze her one bit.

_It's not like I'm planning to kill her in her sleep. Jeez. What the hell is a girl like her doing in Juvie anyway? She looks way too prissy and stubborn to ever end up in a shithole like this. _Gwen wondered.

"Just outta curiosity, what did such a flawless, perfectionist do to land here?" Gwen inquired, peering down from her bed.

'What do you mean, perfectionist?" Asked Courtney, a little irked at the teen's description of her. She sat down on the bottom mattress diagonal from Gwen and winced as it creaked loudly.

Gwen just gave a smirk and pretended to be deep in thought, studying Courtney,

"Hmm, let's see. Hair in a bun, not a single strand out of place, no smudges in makeup, whatsoever. You're wearing expensive clothes that don't reveal any cleavage, obviously showing that you come from a high-class, rich, family that probably expects you to become a lawyer or a doctor of some sort," she sniffed the air once, "expensive perfume too. Plus, I could see just by the way you came in here that if it was your choice, you'd have the entire place thoroughly sanitized," Gwen smiled sweetly, "Would you like me to continue?"

Courtney glared at her, before shrugging it off and smiling, "No, I get the point, thank you. And anyway, you got most of that right, and there is nothing wrong with any of those things... especially the last part."

Courtney smirked and Gwen just rolled her eyes, but the awkward barrier between them seemed to have lessened.

"So, what _did_ you do?" Gwen steered back to her original question.

The CIT sighed and recounted all that had happened to her during the past 4 hours, not leaving a single detail out, yet again. After she was done, she stifled a yawn, and looked up to study Gwen's expression.

Gwen was chewing on a hangnail and appeared to be bored and interested at the same time. A look no one Courtney knew before was able to muster.

"Wow," she finally said after a long pause, flipping her black and teal hair over her shoulder, "Well, that sounds like one hell of a story. Let's hope you've got a good lawyer to back you up and get you out of here, 'cuz no offense, but you clearly don't belong."

"Exactly what I was thinking," agreed the other teen, her eyelids drooping slightly.

After such an exhausting night, Courtney was actually considering the possibility of laying down on one of the saggy mattresses and sleeping, regardless of what poor conditions they were in. She felt like she couldn't keep her eyes open for another minute. However, she was thankful for getting a semi-normal roomate and not having to deal with anyone like dumb, dumber, and dumbest, who were still arguing over who would get the bed that night ad who would be forced to sleep on the floor.

_I guess you really can find friends in the weirdest of places._ Courtney smiled. _BUT, this still doesn't make me wanna stay here any longer than I absolutely have to._

"Do you happen to have a watch?" She asked Gwen, who wasn't tired in the least and instead sitting attentively on her bunk, staring into space.

"No, but feel free to go to sleep whenever. The guards will definitely wake us up tomorrow, bright and early. Joy."

But Courtney hadn't heard the last part of Gwen's answer. She had already drifted into an uneasy sleep.

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**I'm sorry. I know i said she would talk to Duncan in this chapter, but I really didn't want this to sound rushed in any way. ****Next chapter (which is coming very very soon), she will. ****Definitely! I promise. LOL Please review! And share any ideas you mite have for me. I really don't want to lose inspiration for this story! And thank you to all who reviewed!_ TotaldramaDC_ , _Lilypop101, xXErineilXx, LoveStinks,_ and especially to _Shinjiru Kokoro_ - for that amazing motivating review! Thank you all so so much!**

**~xo**


	4. Breakfast

** Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Chapters 4 and 5 were originally supposed to be just one chapter, but I decided to split it up into two because it was kinda long. So now, the 5th chapter is a little short, sorry about that! **

** Thank you to all my reviewers! _Paulinaghost_, _lovestinks35_ (so sorry about getting it wrong last time xD),_ Freehugs41_, _ravnsclaws_ (Yes, it is her, but Courtney didn't know her yet because TDI never happened :D), _TotalDramaDC_ (You totally read my mind! I was definitely going to have LeShawna show up, even if she doesn't say too much in this chapter.) **

** And now, onto the story!  
**

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"_**CRIMINALS GET YOUR BUTTS UP NOW AND START WASHING UP! YOU HAVE 10 MINUTES UNTIL THE FIRST MEAL!"**_

"Arrghhh!!"

-crash-

"What the hell?!"

Courtney quickly opened her eyes and felt a dull pain in her side. She looked around, confused for a few moments, before remembering the previous night's events. The rude wake up call had gotten her to fall out of bed and onto the hard floor, hitting her side on the bed frame.

She glared when she heard Gwen laughing so hard, her whole bed was shaking.

"What?" She snapped.

"Oh, nothing," She burst into another fit of laughter, " I see you're definitely not a morning person!"

"That was the worst, rudest, most inefficient, insensitive, moronic way ever to wake someone up!" Courtney continued ranting as Gwen just rolled her eyes.

"Chill out, Courtney, I was just kidding."

_Uh, Drama Queen, much?_

The CIT struggled to control her temper. She could already tell that this day was going to be living hell, but she had to try and live through it. How else would she get out?

"Whatever, I'm not going to let this ruin my day," said a determined Courtney.

Gwen raised an eyebrow, "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"I dunno. Bi-polar? One moment you're all pissed and the next you're all school-spirit-y with a 'yes we can' attitude."

"Well, I'll have you know that I am a real CIT in my high school! I have all the natural makings of a great leader," she replied, proudly

Gwen scoffed, "Ahuh, and how are you planning to build your 'amazing' leadership skills from behind metal bars?"

Courtney frowned, "That's why it is absolutely necessary for me to get out of here as soon as possible."

Her eyes drifted to the sink in the corner. She walked over and looked into the mirror above it, sighing with disdain. Her eyeliner had apparently grown a mind of it's own and was now taking over her entire face. Her hair looked messy and the bags under her eyes were very apparent.

_I would kill for my moisturizer right now._

She did the best she could washing off the smudges and decided to just leave her hair down, not caring if it looked if it professional, for once. After all, the people in here wouldn't care in the least, and there were definitely no future business prospects in sight.

After fluffing her hair a couple of times, Courtney was as satisfied as she could be, given the circumstances, and her mood became a bit better.

She bounced back to her mattress, optimistic that everything would turn out alright and that she could later write a best-selling book about her accidental experiences in Juvie.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"Well... you'll get to experience the wonders of Cook Hatchet's breakfast in about 15 minutes," Gwen grimaced, "Then it's off to Community Service," she sounded bored.

"Oh, OK. Sounds...uhm...fun!"

_Positive outlook, Courtney, positive._

After some thought, Gwen carefully added, "Oh, and you might want to be a little careful around some of the guys here. They're probably not the Prince Charmings you're used to."

Courtney laughed, "Oh please! I would never look to pursue any romantic relationships with any guy that came from a prison!" She shook her head. Nobody would be able to get the best of her today, especially not some stupid guy.

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**30 Minutes Later**

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The breakfast line was moving so slowly that Courtney's feet were aching by the time she got in front of the cook. He looked mean and aggravated, his mouth set in a straight line, and eyes narrowed.

Courtney tentatively approached the server, quickly thinking of the most common thing every cafeteria would have, "Uhm, can I have a Caesar salad, hold the mayonnaise, along with a small bottle of Dasani water, please?"

He raised an eyebrow, "What's this look like to you, a dang restaurant? You'll have whatever I give you, and you'll eat it with out complaining! Do you hear me?"

"Y-Yes, sir," Courtney answered, widening her eyes at the brown, mushy, lump of food the cook had placed on her tray.

"Good! Now go sit your ass down!!"

Courtney walked to an empty table feeling very embarrassed. Had it suddenly gotten really quiet in the cafeteria? She could see everyone's eyes on her, which made her cheeks turn slightly red as she looked down, avoiding people's glares.

Out of her side view, she managed to catch a certain green-haired delinquent's pierced eyebrow rise and his mouth turn into an arrogant smirk, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes on the floor and briskly walking towards the table.

She pulled out a chair at the empty, soiled table and sat down, waiting for Gwen to get her food and join her.

Before Gwen had a chance, however, someone else had gotten to Courtney first.

"Well, hello there, darling," said a sickly voice that made Courtney shiver with disgust, "How come you're sitting there all alone? Maybe you'd like to join me over there along with my friends? We really wanna get to know you," He said, running his eyes up and down her body, approvingly.

He was dark skinned and on the fatter side. His arms we're hairy and hung by his sides and she could see his huge stomach spilling out of his pants through the white muscle-shirt. Everything about this man screamed criminal. There was no way he could have been under 21 years of age. To Courtney, he looked around 35, but there was a smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol around him, which she figured, had aged his face. As he smiled, she could see several teeth missing.

"Not in a million years, you sleaze," Courtney's lips curled with disdain.

"Come on, now, don't be so stubborn. I know you want to. I'll show you how to have a real good time," he offered smirking.

"Drop dead you annoying, worthless, despicable, pile of scum!" She hated people who looked like him, smelled like him, and, most of all, came on too strong like him. There were enough guys like that back home, but this place was completely filled with them.

His face turned angry and he made a move to grab Courtney's wrist.

She clenched her fists and was about to punch him, hard in his face, when she heard a voice of warning from somewhere behind her.

"Marcus," was all the voice had said but the single word held enough venom for the man to automatically let go of Courtney and return to his seat, scowling the entire way.

The former CIT turned around, trying to figure out who had called off the criminal. Was it one of the guards who were standing alongside the walls with their rifles? Glancing around, she saw no one that looked as if they had said anything. Everyone was either too busy eating or talking to others.

Suddenly, her searching glance landed on the young man she had seen earlier being dragged back to his cell, who was sitting at the table directly behind her. His hair was still spiked and the piercings gleamed from the sun coming through the stained and dusty ceiling windows. His skull shirt clung to his body, outlining the shapely and nicely muscled figure he had.

Of course, he couldn't have been the person who rescued her, but wow, he was really not that bad looking up close. Not bad at all.

_What the hell Courtney? Snap out of it! What's wrong with you? You don't even know him. He's probably the type of guy who kills and burns things just for the fun of it. You aren't here to make friends and you're definitely not here to engage in any sort of romantic relationships. You're here only becasue you have to be, and you must get out._

He glanced up, catching her looking at him and smirked. Courtney quickly looked away, sitting down in her seat, blushing furiously.

_Oh god, how long was I staring at him for?_

Soon Gwen came back to Courtney's table along with another girl. She was very curvy and talked with a dont-mess-with-me attitude. She was obviously from the streets of some large urban area in New York City.

"Hey Courtney, this is LeShawna, one of the other normal people around here."

Courtney smiled sweetly, "Hi, how are you?"

LeShawna gave her a weird look but soon wiped it off and smiled back, "What's up, girl? Enjoying breakfast?"

Gwen laughed, "Like anyone here does."

"Yea," agreed Courtney, "It looks a little..."

"Alive?" LeShawna suggested, "I swear, mine was half way across ma tray by the time I got a napkin."

"Well, I was going to say 'unappetizing' but I guess that works too." Courtney raised an eyebrow and the brown shlop wiggled.

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** Please review! And thank you all for your ideas, I will find a way to incorporate every single one into my story! :D If you think of any others, feel free to share. Thanks for reading!**

**~XO**


	5. Damsel In Distress

**Ok, so here's the second part. Yes, they do finally talk! :D**

**I sincerely hope I got Duncan's character right!  
**

* * *

After lunch all of the inmates were herded outside for Community Service work. They were divided into large groups and put to work. Courtney wouldn't have minded if she was put in the gardening group. Planting and mulching wasn't something that Courtney despised, anything having to deal with trash, was.

But, of course she had to be with the group she didn't want to be with the most.

Seeing as she was the new girl, the overseer assigned her what he had called an easy task; to put the trash bags that were lined up against the wall into their designated places; trashcans.

Courtney hadn't ever needed to take out the trash in her house. That's what the maid was for, but she bravely rolled up her sleeves, put on the rubber gloves, and got to work.

The stench was much stronger than Courtney had expected and she could feel the pitiful breakfast she had eaten making it's way back up her throat.

Walking over to the first trash bag, she looked around for a trash can. She found one. On the other side of the court.

_There is no way I am dragging each of these all the way over there._

She had wanted to roll one of the trashcans over to where the trash bags were, but soon found that they were all bolted into the ground.

_You're kidding me. Dammit._

Holding her nose, she picked up a trash bag daintily. However, she soon had to let go of her nose since the bag was too heavy to haul with just one hand.

After a long battle with the stupid trash bag, she finally got it close enough to the can. Her new challenge was to get it inside. She could feel someone's eyes on her. Or maybe it was many people, snickering at her efforts.

She was forced to lift the smelly thing up. Using both hands she tugged at the bag, managing to lift it about half way. She then realized that she had forgotten to open the lid first, and was attempted to get it open with one of her shoulders. Courtney put one hand under the bag to support it's weight better, but felt something wet and sticky trickle out on her palm.

She immediately dropped the bag and let go of the lid, which made a loud banging sound, that caused several people to look up, as it closed shut.

She grimaced as she saw that her hand was covered in goo-y orange liquid that she could only imagine where it came from.

"Argh!!!" She screamed in frustration, kicking the trash bag, and wiping her hand on her pants which she would have to throw anyway.

The bag tipped over and opened, more unidentifiable things spilling out.

She bent over and tried to re-tie the mouth of the bag so nothing else would spill, and in the process she tripped over something and flew forward, directly onto the trash bag and the pile of things that had spilled out of it.

Defeated, Courtney laid, unmoving, for a few minutes.

_Why me? Why not some other girl, who deserved this? What did I do to get here?_

She jumped when a voice surprised her, called her out of her misery.

"Need some help, Princess?"

She quickly got up, not wanting to be in an easy position to be picked on, looking at the person who had spoken to her.

_Not another one of these idiots._

He stood there, arms crossed across his skull shirt, looking down at Courtney, arrogant smirk on his lips. The green in his mohawk looked almost neon in the strong sun glare. His turquoise eyes bore into Courtney's onyx ones.

She looked at him with disdain, "I was doing fine by my self, and my name is Courtney," she said coldly.

He grinned, "Oh, I didn't realize we were introducing ourselves. Well then, I'm Duncan."

She squinted, "We weren't, moron. I simply didn't want you to call me 'Princess' or any other sick, endearing term you can come up with."

"Oh, I'm hurt, babe," he feigned a pained look, one hand over his heart.

"Don't. Call. Me. That. What exactly are you doing over here anyway?" She was strongly considering kicking him in the balls and laughing when he bent over in pain.

"I came over to help a certain damsel in distress."

Courtney snarled, "I hope you mean some other person because _I'm_ not in distress. So leave."

Duncan looked at Courtney, the annoying smirk returning to his features. His voice seemed to hauntingly familiar to Courtney, but she just couldn't place it. It was like she had heard it somewhere before, not long ago. She ignored the feeling, having bigger things to take care of and tried to focus on getting him away from her.

"Well, I could, but you see, pissing you off is so much more fun," he picked up the ripped trash bad with one hand and placed it effortlessly into the trash can.

"I don't care what you find 'fun' you Neanderthal. Leave me alone."

"Oh come on, don't be like that, Princess. I'm just trying to help. You obviously can't do anything by yourself," a mocking tone entering his voice, "and besides, you look to hot when you're angry."

"Shut up! I don't need yours or anyone's help!" She tried to keep her anger under control, but it really wasn't working.

He cocked an eyebrow, his mouth turning up in a small smile, "Oh yea, because laying face down in a pile of trash, is definitely 'getting the job done.'"

"Look, you pig, I know your type. You're not here to help me! You're probably looking to get in my pants just like the rest of the primitive, unintelligent, assholes that are in here."

He grinned slyly and held up his hands innocently, "Woah, Princess, who said anything about getting in your pants? I think you're going a bit too fast for me, babe. But if you wanted a date, you shoulda just asked," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Courtney's eyes widened, "You..." She was so about to kick him really hard. Either that or let loose a long string of profanities followed by an extremely long rant on being a decent human being.

"Y-you idiotic, conceited, good for nothing, son of a-"

"Courtney Stevens?" A guard's voice interrupted her at the height of her tantrum, "You have visitors."

Courtney did a sharp intake of breath, once again gaining control of herself, and followed the bald, aging guard into the visitor room.

Before she left, Duncan leaned in closer to her, "Ta-ta, Princess, until we meet again," He winked.

* * *

**So, Good? Bad? Please excuse my horrible writing skills, and review! Reviews really make my day! Flames are accepted as they help me get better at writing, as do suggestions. Thanks for reading!**

**~XO**


	6. The News

**Hi Peoples! Once again, this was going to be just one chapter, but I really got carried away and it ended up being 3,000 words. SO i figured it wouldn't make sense to post one long chapter outta nowhere, so I split it up. :) Please Review and thankyou to everyone who reviewed last time!**

_**Freehugs41, Lovestinks35, junniebear49, girlbehindviel8 (I know right. I'll try to keep him from going too soft), donutpower1065, StrawberryAcappella, and jules.**_ **--- Thanks soo much!**

* * *

"Courtney?"

"Mom?"

Courtney ran into her mother's withheld arms, embracing her tightly.

"Oh, honey, I missed you! What happened? How in the world did a night out with friends land you in here?" Asked a frantic Mrs. Willows, hugging her daughter back, "And what in the world is that smell?" She sniffed, scrunching up her nose, probably referring to the stink of trash that still clung to Courtney.

Looking around the room Courtney saw that Michael and her dad were also present at the small meeting.

"Listen mom, it wasn't in any way, shape, or form, my fault," she began.

Before she could start explaining all over again what had happened, Michael cut in.

"I'm only here for a half hour or so. I need your entire take on what happened, Courtney, and then I gotta dash off. So please, make this quick," he said with a slightly bored look.

_Oh that asshole, I am so firing him as __**soon**__ as I'm out of here! There there should be nothing going on that is more important than the current problem at hand!_

"Of course, Michael," she gave him the biggest fake smile she could muster, and proceeded to retell everything that had occurred.

"Why the heck were you walking alone at night in New York City?" Asked Courtney's father, furious.

She only shrugged, "I guess I simply needed time to think."

"In some dark alleyway? Didn't we teach you better?" He interrogated further.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I really wasn't thinking straight."

"Anyway," Michael ushered, impatiently, "I'm going to need the exact location, address and all. I'll have an investigative team search the area thoroughly. If we find anything, we'll get back to you. If not, well, unfortunately, all odds are against you, but at the court hearing, I'll see what I can do..."

_Good. Perhaps I wont fire him after all._

"...maybe we'll get a chance to lower your sentence down to 2 or 3 years."

_No, no way, he's definitely gone!_

Her eyes widened and heart stopped, "Two to three fucking years?? Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" Courtney screeched at the top of her lungs.

"Language, Courtney." Mrs. Willows uttered.

"I have a career plan! My college applications are going to be affected if this happens! I'll end up like one of those homeless people living on the streets!"

"I'm sorry, but these are all serious offenses. Vehicle theft, possession of illegal drugs, speeding, driving with no license," he raised his eyebrows, "It'll be lucky if we get it down to 3 years, to tell you the truth."

"But I didn't do it! I had _nothing_ to do with any of this!"

"As true as that may be, we have no evidence. And evidence is the only thing that'll get you out of this prison." Her lawyers face was resolute as he shrugged his shoulders.

"There could still be evidence at the crime scene. No criminal is perfect, I'm sure they'll find something, honey," Her dad laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as her mom dabbed tears out of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Courtney felt like breaking down and bawling herself. The predicament she was now in was much more serious than she had ever thought could happen to her, and she no longer knew what to do. Her leader-like attitude and wise mind was gone in an instant. She had crossed over into unknown territory where she no longer knew how to act, speak, or behave. What scared her most of all was that, unless something significant had been found, she wasn't getting out for a very long time.

Michael was the one who broke the melancholy silence, "I've got to dash now. I'll let you know when, or if, anything comes up. Goodbye, Courtney," He nodded in farewell to her parents, "Josh, Maria," and left.

Courtney's mother looked at her daughter with tear-brimmed eyes, "Well, for what it's worth, I know, my little angle didn't do anything wrong," She extended Courtney an old gym bag, "Here's everything I thought you would need, for the time being."

Courtney rifled through the bag. Clothes, makeup, sheets, tampons, all the usual necessities. She nodded, "Thanks mom."

An armed guard tapped on the window looking into the small conference room.

"Just five more minutes, please," pleaded Mrs. Willows.

Reluctantly, the guard agreed.

"We'll visit you every week," promised Courtney's father.

"And I'll bring some HSA study books next week. That way, you can keep up on your studies even in here," added her mom.

"And I'll notify the school, so you can continue right where you left off when your term is over," put in her dad.

"Oh, and I'll be sure to tell all your friends to write to you constantly and-"

"No! No, mom, that's OK," clearly they had been trying to help cheer Courtney up and make her feel better, but everything they said pushed the tears that much closer to spilling out and she feared that if she began crying, she wouldn't be able to stop, "I-I'd appreciate it if this was kept just between us. There's no need to tell anyone else."

Mr. Willows frowned, "Well, they're bound to find out somehow, if you suddenly disappear for 3 years,"

_So, he doesn't think I'll be cleared of this either. That's amazing. My own father._

"Just tell them I'm on some exchange program or whatever," she said, aggravated.

He could see she did not wish to continue the conversation any longer, so he dropped it.

The guard banged on the glass once more.

"I guess, we have to leave now," said her mom sadly, "Bye, darling."

"We'll turn this world upside down, trying to prove you innocent, I promise," her father bid her farewell.

"Bye mom, bye dad," Courtney croaked out, "I love you."

"We love you too."

The guard came forward, leading the mother out of the room, firmly.

* * *

Because of the meeting, Courtney had missed lunch. This didn't bother her much at all as she wasn't in much of a mood to eat anyway. All around her, it seemed so blurry, all the voices were distant. She found herself unable to concentrate on anything besides the words replaying over and over in her mind, like a broken record.

_It'll be lucky if we can get it down to 3 years._

The rest of the inmates were outside, letting off steam. Some couples were making out on the grass, under the bleachers, or any other place they could find.

Courtney walked over to the far corner of the 8 row bleachers and sat down, silently.

The feeling of hopelessness had enveloped her fully, barely letting her breathe. The giant lump in her throat could be held no longer. Slowly, one by one, warm, moist tears trickled out.

She buried her head in her hands, not wanting anyone to see her in one of her weakest moments. It would make her seem so vulnerable, and that probably wasn't a good thing to appear as in juvie.

_Who would've thought that a girl like me could end up here. What did I do that made karma punish me so badly?_

She stifled a sob.

_Suppose Michael can't find any evidence. Then what? I'll have to return to school 2 years behind everyone else. I'll have to repeat 10__th__ grade. No one who's been held back can get a scholarship. No one!_

Her emotion changed from one full of sadness to one full of anger at herself.

_If I had accepted the ride home, none of this would've happened. Why the hell was I so stupid?_ _Did that expensive dinner, which, by the way, is the last you'll have for a __**long **__time, knock out your brains?_

She sat up, wiping the tears that just kept coming.

She knew crying wouldn't do any good. Nothing would.

_Maybe I wasn't destined to be a successful lawyer or doctor. Maybe this was my fate all along. To end up in some prison and work at Giant for the rest of my life._

The sobs started all over again. This time, she didn't try to control it, she just let it flow out easily. She hoped she would feel better after the waterworks had finally ended

* * *

**Aw.. :( so sad. **

**Thank you all for reading! Next chapter will be up either later today (it's already done, i just have to edit it) or early tomorrow (and yes Duncan is definitely in it). I just don't have time to post it now, gotta dash off to school, finals are starting today. (yippee...not).**

**Please review!**

**~xo**


	7. PB&J

**Here's the next chapter! Wow, I didn't expect to get any reviews for the last one since it's only been up there for like 5 hours, so THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**_alienphantom_, (Thanx x2 since I didn't say it for the other review :D ) **

**_Lovestinks35 ,  
_**

**_ girlbehindtheviel8,_ (that's a great idea, thank you. I was going to use that and incorporate it into _Paulinaghost's _and_ Lovestinks35's_ ideas from chapter 3. Oh and I got your PM, but i can't reply cuz ur PM messages are disabled. Enable them! :D),**

**_blue, _**

**_junniebear49_ (thanks, i think i did pretty well, and yea, ours ends on the 14th so one more week to go :D )**

**Thanks once again for reading!  
**

* * *

She had no idea how long she had been sitting there. Whether it had been 5 minutes or 2 hours, didn't concern her. The sun's rays had begun to turn orange and the shadows had grown longer, so she figured it had been at least an hour since she had calmed down.

Her stomach growled in protest to her missing lunch, as barf-worthy as probably had been.

After her crying had ceased, Courtney was exhausted, so she simply sat, staring out to space, not thinking about anything at all.

The warm sun crawled on her skin, and the only sounds she heard were the occasional shouts from inmates, the swish of the basketball net, and the unlikely birds that had ventured onto the roof of the solemn facility. There were no more tests to worry about. Nothing more to study for. No plans to be sure not to miss. No responsibilities to take care of. She had never felt this calm, collected, and simply, uncaring, in her life.

Of course, she was still lost, and had no idea of what to do, but that feeling had been temporarily replaced by one of relaxation that she seldom had time to enjoy in her normal fast-paced life.

_Might as well make the most of it._

Soon, she heard footsteps coming near the bleachers, kicking up dust as they went. The quiet and peaceful mood she was in just moments ago, was shattered instantly. The horrible feeling she had felt before came back and hit her with such a force that she actually winced.

"Hey, Princess," of course, it was none other than the repulsive criminal that had bothered her earlier that day, "By chance, I see we meet again."

"_You_ came over _here_, there was no 'chance' involved in it."

"Touché. But I'm sure you're very glad to see me," he smirked, self assured.

"You wish. Why the hell would I be glad to see something as atrocious and disgusting as you."

His eyes flashed in anger for a few moment before returning to their normal state.

"No reason, _darling_," he spat, "I just couldn't help but notice how you missed lunch today."

"Spying on me?"

"Not at all. There just wasn't anyone to cause drama, like earlier today."

"Drama?"

"It was strangely quiet, so I knew someone had to be missing," he said arrogantly, raising his eyebrows.

Courtney could stand him no longer, in one swift motion she punched him so hard, he fell off the bleacher, clutching his arm in pain.

_I never cause drama! That Marcus guy started it, not me._

"I see someone likes it rough," Duncan muttered.

"Go away, you pig. I am so not in the mood for this right now," she growled.

"Yea, I can see that._ Someone's_ been crying her heart out," he teased, no doubt, referring to her puffy and red eyes.

Blushing, Courtney got up and walked away as fast as she could, but she was thankful he hadn't asked the reason for her temporary loss of control.

_How hard is it for people to leave me alone, just this one time?_

She wished she was imagining hearing him follow her, easily keeping up with her pace._  
_

"Come on, Princess, wait up," he grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him.

His tug made her spin around and she turned into his chest, too baffled to move for a moment.

He couldn't help but notice how snugly and perfectly she fit there. She couldn't help but notice how nicely his arm wrapped around her, almost protectively. Both reprimanded themselves harshly.

_What the hell are you doing, man? She's just a little bossy drama queen you like to tease. Nothing more. At all. _Duncan told himself.

_Courtney, stop it. He's just a stupid delinquent that follows you around. Nothing more. _Courtney told herself.

She quickly pushed herself off of him, and continued to walk in the opposite direction.

"Well, fine then. I guess I'll just have to eat this sandwich I have left over from lunch, all by myself!" He called to her, "Too bad, I was gonna offer it to a certain uptight Princess,"

Courtney's stomach rumbled loudly in response, as she slowed her walking, "How do I know it's not poisoned or something?" She called over her shoulder.

Duncan ran up behind her, "Would I really do that to you, babe?"

She stopped and turned around, "Let me think, yea! Besides, I wouldn't ever take any food from someone like you."

As if on cue, her stomach let out the loudest rumble yet, causing Duncan to grin and let out a harsh laugh as he wrapped his hands around her waist coyly, "Yea, well, something else says different."

_"_Ew! Get away!" She swatted his hands away, "Perv!"

He smirked, "Whatever, sweetheart."

She glared.

"So, do you want the sandwich or not, Princess, cause if you don't, feel free to say so."

"I..." she searched his eyes, trying to see if he was attempting to play some sort of sick joke on her. As far as she could tell, there was nothing to make her believe so.

_Is it possible, he might be doing it out of the goodness of his heart?_ She wondered. _Hah! Yea, right. What goodness?_

Her hunger got the best of her, "Fine," she said, giving in almost sulkily.

Duncan grinned victoriously, reaching into his jacket pocket and fishing out a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Simple? Yes. But after spending half of the day not eating, Courtney would have been happy to get anything that tasted remotely like normal food.

She sat down on the grass and watched as Duncan joined her, laying down on his back. She began to eat, trying hard not to stuff all the sandwich into her mouth at once. Common table manners still applied.

"So, do they serve normal food at lunch in stead of that repulsive gruel from breakfast?" She asked trying to make small talk.

He sat up from his relaxed pose and opened his eyes which had been closed when he laid in the sun.

"No, they serve the same gruel all three meals of the day," he answered.

"So, uh, how did you get this?" She motioned to the sandwich.

"Oh," he grinned, "Easy. I stole it."

The small piece of bread seemed to get lodged in Courtney's throat as she choked and looked at him strangely.

"You stole this?"

"Why wouldn't I. You don't think I honestly eat that shit they call food, do you?" He made a face.

"Duncan! Stealing is wrong!" She put the sandwich down carefully on the napkin and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, give me a break, Princess," he rolled his eyes, "this is prison. Stealing a bit of food comes nowhere near the things people really do to get here."

"That doesn't make it right," firmly repeated Courtney.

"You really need to get that pole out of your ass, babe. Live a little. So, I stole a sandwich, which you shoved down your throat, by the way. What's going to happen to me? Nothing."

He could see that she was about to storm away, probably ranting about his 'criminal' acts. There was no need for her to get any skinnier than she already was. She needed to finish eating. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, it'll be fine, I've never been caught before," he reassured her, massaging her neck a bit, "now eat."

She pulled away from his hand, making a face, but couldn't deny that his touch had caused an electric current to run down her spine. She tried to ignore it, but she knew it had been there.

After she was finished eating, he stood up, holding out a hand towards the still sitting Courtney and mock bowing, "Your highness,"

She rolled her eyes and ignored his hand, getting up by herself.

The siren sounded, signaling the time to go back inside.

"There's my cue. Catch you later, Princess."

"Whatever, criminal," she began to walk away but called over her shoulder. Not thanking him wouldn't be right, even if he was a low-life pig.

"Oh, and Duncan?"

He turned slightly, smirking.

"Thanks," she walked with quick pace back to the cafeteria entrance.

* * *

**Yay! Thanks for reading! Tell me how im doing! Review!-- it makes my day so much better!  
**

**There will be additional characters in this (it would get pretty boring if there weren't) but later on (very soon later on, that is :) )**

**Until next time!  
**

**~xo**


	8. Showers and Determination

**Hi again! Ok, I want to apologize in advance for this chapter. It might be a little boring, (eh, I really don't like it) but the things that happen in it are important to the plot line later on, so please bare with me :) .**

**Thank you to _animeaddict2323232_, _animenut18_, _junniebear49_, _Lovestinks35_, _Lilypop101_, and_ blue_ for reviewing! Also, big shout out to my friend, _Annette_, who also motivated me. Thanks, hun. :D**

**Anyway, on to the story...  
**

* * *

Her first full day of Juvie was nearly over.

Courtney sighed in relief.

Her first day had been great!

She scoffed.

_Who the hell are you kidding, Courtney? Yeah, repulsive criminals who wont leave you alone, food that makes you want to never eat again, and no way of getting out of here. Great. Simply Amazing._

In addition, she felt completely filthy, sitting on the bottom mattress of the squishy, creaky, smelly, bunk-beds. She hadn't showered since the previous night and it was beginning to get to her.

Well, there had been Duncan...He was pretty nice, and he _had_ made her day significantly better.

_He's only nice by criminal standards. And all he did was offer you food, nothing to it. If it was anyone else, your mood would've been lifted just as high, if not higher._

And with that she pushed him out of her mind. After all, he was only looking to get in her pants anyway, right?

Absentmindedly smelling her damp shirt, she looked at her roommate quizzically, "Gwen, please tell me that we get time to shower."

"Of course we do," replied Gwen with a smirk on her face, "once a week, every week,"

Courtney's eyes bulged out of her head, "Once a week?" She groaned, "Well, this just adds the cherry to the top of my shitty, ugly, juvie cake."

Gwen was about to make a witty comment about how Courtney was being over-dramatic once again but something in Courtney's tone made her stop. Remembering her first day in the place, she knew that it could be really rough the first time around. Especially for someone who had been spoiled their entire life and was used to things just being handed to them.

She shook her head,

"Don't worry, I was joking. We have free time in the evening, you can shower in the communal bathrooms then."

"Communal?"

"Yeah, as in, in a public bathroom with shower stalls with all the other girls," explained Gwen.

"I know what the word means," snapped Courtney.

"Then why'd you ask?" Gwen snapped back, beginning to get pissed off, "What'd you expect? A special shower room with engraved towels for your royal ass?"

She was expecting for her to give one of her rants, a glare, an eye roll, anything really to show she was aggravated.

But, the jab went right through Courtney, not hitting her at all. She didn't even look up from the fingernail she was picking.

For once, Courtney had said absolutely nothing, which surprised Gwen. When she looked over, she saw the drama queen's face blank, almost as if she hadn't heard her at all.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Gwen, her stingy demeanor subsiding, "No catty comeback for once?"

The former CIT considered telling her about the news that was delivered to her that afternoon, but felt the wave of tears and the lump rise in her throat. Unwilling to cause any more scenes, she kept her mouth shut, blinking the tears away. She could tell her later, after she calmed down.

"No, it's fine. Just didn't feel like replying," Courtney managed. She cursed her cracking voice.

_A shower will definitely help me feel better. _

_

* * *

_

Wrapped in her best towel and carrying her favorite clean outfit, body wash, and shampoo, Courtney made her way towards the communal bathroom. There were about 90 other girls, all eager for a shower, in line with Courtney. The guards let them into the smaller building, locking the door behind them and forming a circle around the outside.

The place was much bigger than it had appeared from the outside. On one side, stood a row of 30 shower stalls. On the other side was a huge long mirror and sinks in front of it. There were also a row of toilets. The rest of the space was occupied by chairs arranged in a waiting room fashion.

None of the girls wasted any time, all rushing towards the sinks and shower stalls. Courtney guessed that they didn't have a long amount of time to spend washing themselves, so she followed the girls and looked desperately for an open stall.

One of the stalls caught her eye. It's curtain was half-way open and the cabin inside was empty.

_Finally, it's about time I had some good luck._

Rushing towards it, Courtney got there at the exact time as another girl did.

She was tall and thin. Her long black hair draped half-way down her back and her almond eyes glared menacingly at Courtney. Her plump lips were set in a scowl and her bony hand was gripping the shower curtain, making her pale knuckles even whiter. She frightening, to say the least.

"Ex-cuh-use me," she growled.

"Uhm, yeah? You need something?" Courtney asked coolly.

"That's my shower stall, honey," the girl spat, rolling her eyes, as if it should have been obvious.

"Funny, I didn't see your name anywhere on it, _**honey**_," Courtney over pronounced the nickname. She was already fed up and did not need anyone getting on her nerves at this moment. All she wanted to do was take a relaxing shower and go to bed.

The girl's eyes narrowed even more, "My name doesn't need to be on it. If I said it was mine, then it's mine. Now back the hell off."

Courtney scoffed, "I don't think so," she wasn't backing down with out a fight, "You can just randomly pick a shower and name it yours! I got here first, so it's mine."

The girl raised an eyebrow, "Fine."

Her hand unclenched from the shower curtain and she crossed her arms over her chest, staring at Courtney intently.

Courtney smirked, and proceeded to organize her things on the small stool in the shower. She had a feeling the other girl was going to try something and kept her guard up.

Just as she suspected, the girl's two thin hands interfered with her movement. They pushed Courtney forcefully on her abdomen, making her unbalanced, and she soon fell on the ground, straight on her bum. Sparks of pain shot up her spine, and she could tell the spot she landed on was going to have a bruise for quite some time.

Her eyes flashed with fury.

_Oh that was it. She is __**sooo**__ done._

Letting a snarl escape her lips, Courtney shoved her opponent as hard as she could, making sure her foot was behind the girl so that she would trip and fall.

The other girl did more than that, however. Just as Courtney planned, she stumbled backwards and tripped over Courtney's outstreched foot. She landed on her back with a crash and her hair dragged along the wet and dirty tile floor.

"ARGH!" She shrieked in anger, "My hair!"

She quickly thumbed through her now clumped together and wet hair with a disgusted look on her face, "You are so gonna pay for this, you ugly, prissy, bitch!" She stormed off towards the sinks, where her bag was apparently sitting. Rummaging through her giant bag, she pulled out a brush and some sort of spray. Glaring at Courtney with an evil look, her eyes were resolute on getting revenge.

Courtney simply rolled her eyes. At that moment she couldn't care less.

Calmly, she picked up her clothes and body wash off the floor and went into the stall, letting the warm water wash away the stress and grime of the day.

* * *

She had been right, the shower really did help her compose herself.

As they were herded back to their rooms for the night, Courtney felt at ease, but very tired. Her fresh, clean clothes soothed her roaring spirit, and although her situation hadn't gotten any better, she felt peaceful and uncaring, much like she did after her crying ceremony earlier that day.

Gwen nodded a greeting as Courtney was pushed through the barred door.

"Hey, fellow jail-mate," she smiled, "feeling any better?"

Courtney nodded, contented.

"Are you gonna tell me what you were so upset about or should I guess?"

The CIT smirked, "Guess," she dared.

Gwen laughed, shaking her head, "Ok, hmm," she thought for a while, "...your boyfriend broke up with you because he found that dating a delinquent didn't meet his standards,"

"Nope. I don't have one," Courtney rolled her eyes thinking of how stupid some of the preppy guys that went to Millstream Preparatory Academy were. She got by perfectly by her self, "There's never been a need for one," she added.

Gwen looked slightly shocked, "You've never had a boyfriend?" She asked, disbelieving.

Courtney shook her head, wondering what could be so bad about not having dated anyone. Sure, guys had hit on her, but she found their nicknames stupid and their pick up lines cheesy. They all came on way too strong for Courtney's likings.

_Nicknames...like 'Princess' for example?_

_Yes, exactly like that. See? Isn't it horrible?_

_Not really..._

_Yes, it is! Shut up._

Gwenlooked at Courtney strangely, "Yea, maybe, but that's what all guys are like," she frowned, "But I still can't believe it. Not a single boyfriend? No dates?"

Courtney sighed, "Yea, yea, whatever. Aren't you gonna keep guessing?" she changed the topic.

Gwen wiped the look of shock off her face, and it changed into one that was deep in though, "Uh...maybe your parents cut off your credit card? Cell phone?"

He roommate snorted, "How shallow do you think I am?"

"Would you really like to me answer that?"

Courtney blushed slightly, "Oh, never-mind! I'll just tell you myself. No more guessing."

Gwen smiled victoriously.

The CIT rolled her eyes and was starting to explain what happened.

She found that getting the actual words out was much harder than thinking them was. Her chest felt tight.

"I..." she began, trailing off, her face falling.

"I... have t-to...stay...here....for 3 years," once more, tears gathered in her eyes.

Gwen's eyes widened, knowingly.

_It's always hard when they first find out. But barely anyone ever leaves here before they do the time for the crime they're accused of, regardless of whether they've committed it or not._

"What happened?" Asked Gwen.

"My lawyer's being an ass. He thinks they wont be able to find anything that'll prove me innocent," explained Courtney, becoming angry, "I swear, if I ever find the asshole that got me in here, I'll sue him for all, if not more of the money he's got!"

She laid down on the cot, turning around to face the cold stone wall.

"I'm sorry, Gwen, I'm just really tired. We'll talk some more tomorrow, okay?"

It hadn't fully been a lie, she really was tired, but she was also going to try to avoid the dreaded topic if it ever came up again. Every time she thought about it, her spirits dropped and her eyes brimmed with tears. And she wasn't about to let anyone else see her weak side.

One person was enough. Especially since that one person was the most irritating and bothersome of all the inmates.

Her thoughts suddenly traveled elsewhere...

He did have a really nice body... and Courtney remembered that shock of electricity that jolted through her when he touched her. Oh, and she fit so perfectly against him. And the way his shirt clung to his shapely abdomen and arms. And ho-

_Stop! Stop right there! He is the most aggravating and troublesome person you have ever met! And, this isn't his first time here, either! I distinctly remember him asking for his **old** parole officer last night, indicating that this is his 2__nd__ or maybe even 3__rd__ visit! He's a criminal, Courtney! What would your friends and parents say? I forbid you from ever thinking about that...that...Neanderthal ever again!_

Courtney pouted, but knew her conscience was right. His only goal was to have his fun and then leave her, heart-broken and alone.

No. Courtney Willows was smarter than that.

She would never talk to that imbecile ever again.

* * *

**Yea..sorry it sucked. Next chapter will be better, I promise! Heather will play a big part in this. And since half of it is already written, it'll probably be added some time later this week.  
**

**Ideas are very very welcome. :D  
**

**So are reviews! :D  
**

**Thank you so much for reading!**

**~xo**


	9. Getting Under Her Skin

Hi guys! Here's the next chapter. Personally i think its better than the last, but ill let u judge!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Oh and omygawd i just realized that u can reply to reviews...wow...yes im slow, im know. But i kinda feel like mentioning everyone who reviewed in my chapters is more special then sending them a message? Yea i don't know. So anyway! Thanks to _girlbehindveil8, .., animenut18, paulinaghost, emma1gibson, Derangedpixie, and totaldramadc_ for reviewing! :D

Thanks for reading!

* * *

_She was running away from him again, but he was quickly gaining on her._

_His haunting voice calling out in the darkness._

_"Come back here, bitch, you wont get away this time!"_

_She willed her feet to move faster, but they were becoming more tired and stiff with every step. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it would pound it's way out of her chest. Damp sweat lined her forehead._

_What was worse was that she had no idea where she was. All around her were tall, dark buildings and empty alleyways, no other human being in sight, not even a lighted window in any of the abandoned apartments._

_She wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but her throat felt dry and scratchy. She was completely out of breath and out of energy. Her lungs refused to gather any more air from the clammy, humid, atmosphere._

_There was no one to help her now. No relinquished car for her to get away in. Tonight was the night he would have his revenge on her, once and for all._

_She felt her legs collapse under her, pushing her against the cold pavement. _

_Pathetically, she attempted to keep going, crawling on her hands and knees. It was to no avail. She knew it wouldn't be._

_She heard him catch up to her, heard his evil laugh._

_She felt him grab a fist full of her hair and yank it upwards, forcing her head to look at him._

_The clown mask he had worn last time was replaced by a dark ski mask, only revealing his cold, uncompassionate, eyes which bore into her's with intensity, foreshadowing what was to come._

_He held her tightly with one arm, but she was no longer struggling. _

_He reached into his pocket for his blade, once more, only this time, he would accomplish the task left unfulfilled._

_She tried to shut her eyes, but couldn't look away._

_The blade made a swishing sound as it flew towards her. She heard the sickly sound of tearing on her skin as it was cut, and everything went black. _

_

* * *

_

Courtney jolted awake, sitting upright, and knocking her head into the bars overhead. She was panting like she had just run a marathon and her temples glistened with cold sweat. Her body felt sore all over. Images of what had happened continuously replayed in her head.

The feeling of panic overtook her.

_Where am I?_

Everything around her was black.

Feeling around herself, she found a blanket and a measly pillow. Only then did her surroundings become obvious. That and the fact that the entire event had been in her head.

_It's okay. It was just a dream. _

Just to make sure, her hands flew up to her throat. There was no damage, she sighed with alleviation.

_God, Courtney, get a grip._

She was dumbfounded, the dream had seemed so real, she could have sworn she felt the knife cut into her skin. She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of the cold eyes, staring at her. Courtney shivered and wrapped the flimsy blanket around her slim shoulders. Her head was still pounding from the blow against the metal bed.

She had no intention of falling asleep. She knew is she did, she'd see those horrid things again, and wasn't going to waste effort on trying.

The tiny window in the cell showed a glimpse of the sky. It was lighter than it had been before. She guessed the time to be around 5 in the morning. She didn't have long to wait until the wake up call, so she simply sat on her cot, and stared, listening to the night sounds of the prison.

* * *

Courtney opened her eyes at the sound of the buzzer.

Fatigue had broken her down and she must have ended up falling asleep anyway.

She groaned at the massive headache she was enduring and got up. Courtney didn't pay much attention to what she was putting on and how well she was doing her makeup. Today, it wouldn't matter.

She and Gwen made their way to the cafeteria together and got the usual suspicious brown substance on their tray.

As Gwen went to find LeShawna, Courtney sat down at an empty table and picked at her food.

The morning was going by in a blur in front of her eyes. She didn't waste time focusing on anything, and instead chose to watch it fly by.

The dream was fresh in her mind, and it made her very jumpy. Even the slightest of sounds and movements. This is why when the stupid, green-haired convict put his hand on her shoulder she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Hey, Princess," he smirked when he saw her momentarily widen her eyes, "Don't worry, it's just you favorite bad-ass criminal, here to make your day much more interesting."

_Or much more annoying and unsanitary._

She remembered the promise she had made earlier, to never talk to him again, and she was resolute on not breaking that promise.

_Don't talk to him. Don't look at him. He's not even there._

She narrowed her eyes and moved to a different table.

To her dismay, he followed and took a seat in front of her, looking very amused.

"Ignoring me wont do you any good," he smirked, "I know you secretly can't resist me."

_Yea right._

She continued looking straight ahead, as he wasn't in front of her, wondering when LeShawna and Gwen would come back.

One of the girls who exited the lunch line caught her eye. She was the same girl girl who she had the 'pleasure' of meeting last night. She was wearing cargo-style short shorts, showing off her long pale legs, and a halter top. Her black hair was sleek and perfect, hanging down her back with a small barrette on one side. Her makeup was dark, but exquisite and it made her eyes look even more exotic.

Courtney remembered how the girl had vowed to get revenge and slouched a little in her seat, not wanting her to see her. She was in no mood for her bitchiness.

Unfortunately, the black-haired girl had already seen her and an evil grin formulated on her mouth.

The brunette rolled her eyes.

_What could she possibly do to me that would be so horrible?_

Courtney watched as the girl from yesterday's shower incident walked up behind Duncan with a sly look on her face.

Her pale hands wrapped around his neck as she leaned down next to him. She shot Courtney an evil look and smiled at Duncan.

_"_Hey, Duncan," she murmured in his ear, just loud enough for Courtney to hear.

The former CIT's face froze in a scowl and her eyes narrowed at the evident flirty face the other girl had on as she ran on of her fingers up and down Duncan's arm in a tantalizing motion.

Duncan's face was twisted with confusion at first. Heather was usually especially cold when it came to him, what had caused this sudden change of emotion?

As his eyes flickered to the Princess's expression, his smirk came back. She was shooting death glares at Heather, obviously jealous.

_I knew she wanted me._

He weighed the pros and cons of the situation. He knew Heather was only doing this to piss Courtney off. Evidently, it was working, and damn, she was hot when she was pissed! Responding to the tall flirting would go an even longer way to annoy the drama queen. It might even get her to break the silent treatment she was giving him.

_Hmm, don't mind if I do. Anything to get under Princess's skin._

He smiled to himself and turned to Heather.

"Hey, Heather," he greeted her, pulling her closer to him, "why don't you join me and Princess for breakfast."

_Oh, so the bitch has a name._ Thought Courtney in annoyance,_ What the hell does she think she's doing?_

"Sure, Dunckie," she purred.

Duncan had to keep himself from wincing. He hated that nickname, but ignored it.

Heather sat on top of his lap, looking down on him with an adoring glance, even though he knew she was probably trying to keep from gagging. He had to hand it to her, the chick could act.

His eyes traveled down to her chest. Her rack wasn't too bad either, he mused.

_Not half as good as Princess's though._

He snuck a glace at the drama queen. Her arms were crossed over her chest, making it look even larger, and her face was lethal. Lips in a straight line, eyes flashing with unmistakable anger.

_Man, she looks so good right now._

She was bound to start talking soon, even if the only things coming out of her mouth were strings of profanities. All he needed to do was play it up a little.

Heather must have been thinking the same thing became she leaned her forehead against his and spoke just loud enough for both him and Courtney to understand.

"I was thinking me and you could...get to know each other a little better," she hinted.

_Didn't everyone?_

Duncan smirked, "You read my mind, sweetheart."

Courtney's face was becoming quite red, signaling an outburst was soon to come.

In one last move, Duncan placed his hands under Heather's small butt and pressed his lips onto hers.

Her arms went around his head and rested on his shoulders, to imitate passion, but she dung her nails ever so slightly into his neck, making sure he knew that she was planning on causing him major pain later for that little stunt. The kiss was completely unresponsive. Heather kept her lips stiff, not that Duncan was trying much himself, he only hoped it looked authentic enough to annoy the hell out of Princess.

The kiss ended abruptly, Heather pushing herself off of him quickly.

He was then met with a strong slap across his face.

Looking to where Courtney was previously sitting, he saw an empty seat. She left? Just left? No screaming, nothing.

_Well that was fucked up!_

She was supposed to start yelling at him, maybe even hit him, not storm out! He had to suffer through Heather's kiss for a full 2 minutes, just to see her leave with out a word?

"What the hell was that for?" He growled at Heather, rubbing his cheek.

"For kissing me, asshole!"

"I thought we were both trying to make Princess jealous!" Exclaimed Duncan defensively.

"We were! That, however, was completely unnecessary."

"Well I worked didn't it?"

_Badly._

Heather just rolled her eyes, "Whatever, now get out of my way," she pushed past him and back to her table.

Duncan sighed. Nothing had gone as planned.

* * *

Sorry, its a little short. Hope you liked it! Oh, I have big plans for the next chapter and since today's finally the _last day of school_ _:D_, i should be able to write it pretty soon.

Thanks for reading! Please review!!!


	10. The Truth

Hey! I'm so nervous about this chapter! A lot of things happen in it and I hope it's not rushed. I might rewrite it later on, depending on what you guys think of it, so **please review** and tell me what you think!

Thanks to _lovestinks35_,_ SomeNobody_,_ blue(animenut18)_,_ girlbehindveil8_,_ totaldramadc_,_ Derangedpixie_,and_ alienphantom_ for reviewing!

**Disclaimer (which I forgot in other chapters, oops) : I don't own anything.**

_

* * *

What the hell was their issue? _

Courtney was walking outside, avoiding the 'lovely' couple that had made her lose her appetite entirely.

She had simply been trying to ignore Duncan and his annoying self when Heather had come up to their table and started flirting with him. She had been shooting Courtney evil looks which made her figure that she was probably playing it up just to agitate her.

_Well it worked. Good job, Heather._

The disturbing sweet voice, meaningful looks, and inappropriate hand placement was enough to make Courtney want to either leave or barf, or possibly both, but when Duncan pushed Heather into a kiss, something inside Courtney completely snapped. She didn't even waste her time or words on any of them, quietly getting up and walking away.

He looked so passionate about it too. Heather obviously liked him and he obviously liked her. Nothing to it. Courtney was nothing but some sort of stupid little plaything for him to edge on.

_I don't care! This doesn't bother or concern me at all!! I didn't even want him to talk to me in the first place._

There was a dull ache somewhere inside her, and try as she had, she could not ignore it this time.

_How can he just jump from girl to girl? Is he really heartless enough to flirt with that bitch right in front of my face?_

_Well what did you expect? _another voice challenged her_, You knew he would do this. You should've just not gotten involved with him in the first place._

_Gotten involved? We weren't involved! I didn't like him whatsoever, and I never will! That disrespectful, atrocious, aggravating, son of a-_

_Ahuh, so why did you storm out? Why did seeing that bother you so much?_

Courtney stopped walking and leaned against a nearby wall.

She thought about all the times he had bothered her. If she had really wanted to, she could've gotten him to leave her alone very easily. So why hadn't she?

She crossed her arms and shook her head.

It was probably because she was a stubborn person who liked to argue and prove that she was right. Duncan was very easy to argue with.

That was the only thing that had made her want to talk to him...right?

Besides,_ she_ was the one who was avoiding him most of the time and _he_ was the one who followed her around.

_Except when he's too busy with other girls.._

_Shut up!_

Inspecting her nails, which were in dire need of a manicure, Courtney saw a flash of green from the corner of her eye and groaned.

_Speak of the devil..._

Her initial reaction was to run and hide. She rounded a corner and looked around for some reasonable means of a hiding spot.

She saw Duncan turn the corner and search the premises, probably looking to bother her some more. Courtney was crouched behind a dumpster that gave her a chance to spy on him with out being seen.

Holding her breath, she watched as he approached the dumpster. She blinked once and he was gone.

Confused, her eyebrows drew together.

Courtney cautiously looked around, hoping he had left. Upon seeing no one, she backed up and leaned against the strong brick wall behind her.

"Boo,"

She froze.

_Wait, walls aren't supposed to talk._

She felt two hands on her shoulder's turning her around.

_Or touch me._

She spun around coming face to face with the one person she was trying to avoid.

"Get away from me," she spat, jabbing Duncan in the chest.

"Good to see you too, Princess," he said sarcastically, still smirking.

Rolling her eyes, she turned to walk away, "What, did Heather get bored of you?"

He grinned victoriously, "Ah, jealous are we?"

Courtney felt her face become red with anger, "I am not jealous! I couldn't care less what you do and with who."

"So why did you run out of the cafeteria when you saw us...interacting," he raised his eyebrows.

"Because!" Courtney fumed, "If I had wanted to see some sort of...of...flirting show, I could watch it on the TV, not right in front of me."

She mentally slapped her palm to her forehead.

_Flirting show? Really? Wow, Courtney, nice come back._

Duncan seemed to think the same thing because he looked like he was barely holding himself back from laughing.

She glared daggers, which caused him to relent a little.

He held up his hands in a surrendering motion, "Whatever you say, sweetheart."

As he raised his hands, one of the sleeves of his shirt slid up to his elbow, revealing a long, but thin scratch.

Courtney stared at the mark, eyes unreadable and narrowed. He followed her gaze and quickly pulled down the sleeve.

"Something bothering you?" he smirked, "Or are you just stunned at how amazingly strong and muscular my arms are?"

Courtney's eyes remained glued to the spot ignoring his question, "How did you get that scratch?"

He shrugged, "My cat. She wasn't very happy when I forgot to feed her one day. I came home and hhhhhhissss," he made a noise that sounded sort of like an angry cat yelping, and swung his hand in the air to illustrate it scraping him.

Courtney's heart rate had sped up. She remembered scratching her attackers arm forcefully while trying to get away.

_Oh, stop being so paranoid. He said his cat scratched him. Besides, it's not like you could've dug your nails into him that hard!_

She sighed, clearing her head.

"Okay, whatever," she frowned and walked away.

"Why so interested in my scars, babe?"

Courtney shook her head quickly, "No reason, just..wondering," she narrowed her eyes, "Now leave. Go 'get to know' Heather or something."

"Tsk. There you go again, getting jealous."

"I am not jealous! It was kind of obvious by that makeout session that you two are perfect for each other!"

Duncan remembered Heather's lips on his and cringed.

_Never again,_ he promised himself.

"Just admit it, you want me," he winked at the resident drama queen.

"Just the thought of that makes me wanna become a nun," Courtney rolled her eyes, "And besides, even if I did, you'd be too busy flirting with other girls to notice!"

Duncan perked up and grinned, "So you're saying it might be a possibility?"

"What?!" Courtney's eyes narrowed, "T-That's not what I said!"

"You implied it," he said self-assuredly.

"No I didn't! Argh! Your such an immature imbecile. Just go away!" She waved her hand impatiently.

"Not likely, sweetheart," he smirked.

"You're so anno-" Courtney began to say, but froze mid-sentence, her eyes bulging out of her head.

_"Let me go, you pig!"_

_"Not likely, sweetheart. First, why don't you give me the money."_

There was no way she could be this paranoid with out being right.

The scratch, why his voice seemed so familiar, why he was caught right after she was and brought to the same prison, she mentally added it all in her head. It all seemed to make sense, but... he wouldn't do something like that...right?

_"Not likely, sweetheart."_

_Of course he would. He's a criminal. Everyone here is a criminal._

He was the one who had tried to rob her in the dark alley. He was the one who threatened her with a knife.

Her mouth hung open, no words coming out.

She slowly backed away from him in fear. Did he know who she was? Was he planning his next attack this entire time?

A look of concern came over his features, "Hey, are you okay, Princess?"

"Y-you...you...you're the...."

She had been spending all this time with the person who put her in this ridicules place, and they were alone, outside, Only one guard standing in the distance, with his back faced to them. Although he wouldn't have a knife on him, seeing as this was prison, Courtney had no doubts that he could kill her with a variety of other methods.

She had backed away so far that her back hit the fence. There was no where left to run.

Courtney was shaking so hard, she was surprised she could still stand.

"Jeez Princess, relax," rolling his eyes, he walked closer to her, but saw that the fear in her eyes only grew more.

_What's her damage? I didn't say nothin'. _

_She'_s_ kinda hot when she's scared though. Oh, who am I kidding? She's hot all the time._

_Wait, what the hell am I saying? No she isn't. She's just uptight and bossy all the time. _

Courtney knew she needed to be strong and not appear weak like she was doing now. It looked completely unprofessional on her part.

_Get a hold of yourself! The more helpless you seem, the easier it'll be for him to kill you._

She drew in slow breaths and blinked, her glance turning steely.

"D-Duncan, what did you d-do to get in here?" Her voice was barely audible and stuttered, but by his face, she could tell he had heard her.

With out missing a beat, he replied, "Armed robbery. It was dark and I didn't see all the cops hiding in the bushes until it was too late."

Courtney shook her head. He was lying.

"Before that,"

His eyes shifted, but he kept his expression placid.

"I went out with some friends," he replied steadily.

Courtney's hands balled up into fists. Was he really going to be lying to _her_? The person he was planning to abduct?

"You're lying, Duncan," she said, her voice becoming stronger, "That's not what you were doing. And you didn't get that scratch from your cat. Tell me, where did you stash that idiotic clown mask?"

Duncan's eyes flashed with confusion. His mouth opened slightly as if he was going to say something, but he then closed it.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me. She's the one I was gonna take money from? Damnit, nothing ever turns out my way!_

He sighed and stared at Courtney. Why did it have to be her? He screwed everything up once again. Maybe this was why he usually went for girls like Heather, bitchy and easy to dump. Someone like her wouldn't care in the least if had been him in that alley, they'd just wanna make out and forget all about it, but Courtney was different. Perhaps that's why for the first time, he found himself attracted-

_Minimally._

-minimally attracted to someone like her.

Courtney took his actions and loss of words as confirmation that it really had been him.

She let out a shriek of frustration. Why did it have to be him? Why not some ugly, fat, repulsive person like Marcus or something? If had been someone like that, she could have easily told her lawyer and everything would have been over and she could return to her home. But Duncan was different. Maybe this was why, for the first time, she found herself drawn-

_Barely._

-barely drawn to him.

_You have to tell Michael. It'll help get you out of here._

_But what would happen to Duncan?_

_Oh, does it matter?? He'll probably get more time and just escape._

_But..._

Duncan continued to watch Courtney intently, as if reading her thoughts and hearing the conflicts within her.

Courtney rolled her eyes as the bell rang, telling them all to go back inside.

_Honestly, it rings at the most inconvenient time ever._

* * *

Yea, it was definately rushed! Sorry! I re-wrote this part 3 times and this was as decent as I could get it. :)

**Please Review!** Oh my gosh, this might be the only story I actually finish! Haha.

Thankx for reading! If you have any ideas, please tell me!

**~xo**_  
_


	11. Surprisingly

**HEY! Okok first off i just have to do one thing ----lets out ear piercing shriek heard for miles---- i am so excited at how many people liked the last chapter and reviewed!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!! (why yes i did have just a smidge of sugar before typing this A/N)**

**aak this is gonna be a big list :D which makes me very very happyy. Thanks to :** _Ezekiel's Home-made Moonshine, blue, animeaddict2323232, junniebear49, MissJuly005, Jynxite, JustHangin, Hgirl1884, lovestinkz35, StrawberryAcappella, emma1gibson, SomeNobody, girlbehindveil8, Derangedpixie, Innocent Wave, alienphantom, I'm Random, KarmaBoo_, **and** _xXxTDI AngelxXx_ **for reviewing!!!!**

**Okay, im not done yet. LOL stay with me! This chapter is a lil bit more low-key than the other one, but next one will be full of drama!! Promise! **

**Oh and I wanted to clear up tht Duncan and Courtney are FAR from being 'in love'. LOL don't worry, i didnt rush it that much. They're only sortof begining to realize their feelings towards each other. K? K! **

**Alright, now you can go read it! **

**Wait! I almost forgot the Disclaimer again : I dont own nothin!  
**

* * *

The ringing bell echoed in Courtney's mind.

Her head was still processing the newly acquired information.

Even though he had tried to assault her, she had defeated him, hadn't she? That piece of information alone made her much less scared and worried. Plus, if he had wanted to kill her, he probably would have done it already. He had had plenty of chances.

She dragged her feet towards the door, thumbing through her options in her mind.

She couldn't stay in juvie and jeopardize her chances at a happy future, but she couldn't exactly turn Duncan in either. It wouldn't be...right.

_Yes it would. What are you doing? You're passing up an opportunity at freedom for some guy?_ _What, did you suddenly fall in love with him?_

Courtney shook her head. No way. She could never love a person like Duncan. Furthermore, even if she did, there was no way she would be able to bring him home, supposing she got out, with out her mother having a heart-attack at the tender age of 37.

She admitted there was a ... certain attraction but that was as far as it would ever go. She would make sure of that.

_Then why is so hard to just turn him in?_

She had no idea.

* * *

It was nearly the end of lunch when a guard approached her once again. She knew that Michael was back, either with evidence or without any. She also knew that if she was to tell him who was responsible for all of this, it would have to be now or never.

"Courtney Willows. Visitors. Now," the guard commanded roughly, grabbing her by the arm and leading the way.

She was left to make the devastating decision in a matter of minutes as she was walking to the conference room.

Her brain said one thing, but the pit of her stomach said another.

_What if he already has another plan? What if he's not as bad as he seems? Maybe the robbery was a one time thing._

The door creaked open, showing only Michael sitting in a gray, metal chair with a manila folder.

Her parents had apparently decided not to show up.

_Way to be supportive, mom and dad._

She sat across from Michael, looking at him expectantly.

"Hello, Courtney, how have you been?" She could tell he was simply doing the mandatory introductions, and probably wasn't too concerned for her welfare.

"Fine," she replied courtly, "Did you find anything?"

He nodded, "As a matter of fact, we did," he pushed the manila folder in front of him, opening it and revealing a bundle of pictures. He put one in front of Courtney. It was the atrocious clown mask that Duncan had been wearing, "Does this look familiar?"

Courtney shuddered, "Yes."

"And this?" He showed her another picture, this time of the alley she had been in. It looked much different in broad daylight.

"Yes. That was the place of robbery."

"Right."

He continued pulling out more pictures, some of the knife, others of the scenery and where the car had been. Courtney continued nodding, everything looking scarily coinciding to that night.

At the end of the interrogation, Michael leaned his chin on his hand and looked deep in thought.

"So, does this prove anything? Am I out of here yet?" She asked full of hope.

"Uh..no. Not exactly. The only thing this proves is that there is reasonable doubt. For all we know, you could've strategically placed all of these props there."

Courtney made a sharp intake of breath. Times like these made her want to punch that smug look right off of her lawyer's face.

"Nobody would be smart enough to place all of those there," she pointed out, "and don't you know me? You really think I would do all this just to go to juvie and then get out?"

"I'm just doing my job, Courtney. For now, this is all we have."

"What more do you need?"

"Oh, I don't know, figure prints? Something that would prove you didn't participate in any part in this and were just in the wrong place at the wrong time?" He said a bit harshly.

Courtney backed down, "Alright, fine," she practically growled, "So do these pictures change anything at all?"

"Well, we might get your sentence down by a couple of months."

The former CIT sighed.

_Gee, thanks, that would make a huge difference._

She paused. If was going to do it, she should tell him _now_, it was the paramount moment, "Um...what if...y-you found the guy? What would happen to him?" she asked cautiously instead.

"Up to 5 years in maximum security," he explained, "and that's added to any other sentences he may have."

His eyes scanned her somewhat suspiciously, picking up on her tone, "Why? Do you have an idea of who it might be?"

_Yes. Yes! YES! Do it now, Courtney. This is your only chance. End this, right now._

_No. Don't say anything. Say no. What if everything isn't as it seems? There might be more than meets the eye or more to the story._

_Think of your future! He's a delinquent. He needs to get what he deserves._

_But what if-_

_'What if' nothing!!!! Say yes. Nothing else matters besides you getting out of here._

"...Courtney?" Michael's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Courtney took a deep breath and looked at her lawyer, "No, I have no idea who it could be. I was just wondering what would happen to them."

_What. Did. You. Just. Do??_

"Okay," he sighed, once again looking bored, "Well, Anyway, right now, there's no more use being here. I'll look into it some more later," the intonation he said it in was one that assured Courtney he was giving up on the case and wasn't going to do anything more, leaving her to rot in prison.

"Bye Michael."

_Asshole._

"Goodbye, Courtney."

He banged on the door, signaling that they were finished.

Courtney had expected to feel sad about not being let go, but the feeling was almost completely muted. She felt regret and anger towards Michael for letting it go so easily, but a part of her, small as it may have been, was grateful for this intervention to her normal life. She was meeting new people that she wouldn't have in a million years even considered talking to back home and most of them weren't half bad. Of course she was still upset, but there was nothing she could do and seeing the bright side of this was helping her get over it.

Courtney was brought back to her cell, where she was greeted by Gwen, LeShawna, and ...

_Duncan? What the hell? They're not allowed to do co-ed!! And what are all of them doing here?_

"Hey, girl!" Greeted her LeShawna.

"Hey..." Courtney smiled awkwardly, "What's up?"

Gwen laughed, "Apparently this place is finally falling apart. There was a pipe in between LeShawna's and Duncan's cells, which broke, leaking tons of water into both of their cells," she rolled her eyes, "The warden had one of his rare compassionate moments and told the guards to move them and their cellmates into any available cell. So now they're staying here with us," she beamed at LeShawna, "Isn't that great?"

Gwen actually looked excited for once, instead of her usual bored facial expression.

Courtney tried to muster a smile, but she was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace, "That's awesome!" she exclaimed weakly, "For how long?"

This would complicate things. Right now, she didn't need Duncan anywhere near her.

"Oh, 3 to 4 days, but who knows? They might decide to just keep them in here forever and put new inmates into their old cells."

"Oh," Courtney blinked, taking the new arrangements in.

"So, where were _you_ all this time?" Asked LeShawna.

"My lawyer," replied Courtney taking a seat on her bunk.

"...And?" Ushered Gwen.

"And nothing. I'm still stuck here," Courtney snapped lightly.

"He didn't find any evidence?" Gwen looked disbelieving.

"Oh, he found evidence but he's saying that it doesn't prove anything," her eyes flickered to Duncan who was smirking profoundly.

"Well, hun, at least you 'stuck' with us and not some queenie bitch like Heather. Oooh, I swear one of these days I'm gonna shove one of her designer high heels right up her white little ass!" Roared LeShawna.

Despite herself, Courtney laughed at the thought of that image.

"I mean who does that girl think she is? She marches around here like some Queen of Sheeba, well she definitely aint that!" LeShawna and Gwen both cracked up and continued their conversation.

Duncan was still staring at Courtney, his smirk growing.

She narrowed her eyes, shooting daggers.

He grinned wider and they mentally challenged each other to a staring contest.

_I can't believe I have to live with this pig now. At least LeShawna and Gwen are here with me._

Thinking that, she prayed she hadn't jinxed her friends' company.

As their staring contest continued, she couldn't help but notice how unusual his turquoise eyes were. Not to mention that they were completely endless and captivating.

She was so engrossed that she didn't catch the looks her room-mates exchanged, smiling knowingly.

A few moments later a guard came to their cell, keys in hand.

"Gwen Smithery, LeShawna Daniels, you're needed by the warden. I think there might be a package here for you."

_Yep, I definitely jinxed it._

Courtney sighed and scowled as the door shut. Now she was stuck with 'prince charming' himself for god knows how long.

He swung his legs over the railing of the top bunk and jumped down landing right in front of Courtney.

He waited for her to say something, staying still and gazing over her stretched out body appreciatively.

"I have no interest talking to the person who attempted to rob me," said Courtney coldly, sitting up.

"And yet you started out little conversation, Princess," smirked Duncan.

Courtney rolled her eyes.

"Tell me, why didn't you turn me in when you had the chance?"

Turning away from him, Courtney tried to block out his low voice.

"Aren't you scared I'll try to kill you? It's just us two...all alone...in this tiny cell. No guards." he teased and then paused for a second before saying, "Or maybe, you found that you liked me too much to ever live without me? Then you could use our solitary confinement to your advantage."

Courtney scowled but didn't say anything, crossing her arms over her chest.

_Didn't think he could even pronounce 'solitary confinement.'_

He grinned and sat down on her bed beside her.

She scooted further away from him, hitting the backboard of the bed.

"Aw, come on, babe," he lowered his voice even more, it now being just barely above a whisper, "I know you want me. You secretly find danger hot. I don't even know how you can hold yourself back right now,"

Courtney had to suppress a shiver. She could feel the goosebumps crawling up her arms.

"Admit it," he pressed.

How did he know she found danger attractive? Was she really that easy to read?

She noticed him slyly getting closer to her and gave her an innocent look when she glowered.

The look on his face was different than before, though. It was ... actually serious for once.

"I'll warn you in advance that if you tell anyone I said this, I might just have to kill you for real, but," he leaned in close to her, until he was centimeters away from her ear, "thank you," he whispered.

Courtney's heart thawed out completely, she smiled softly.

_See? I knew he wasn't entirely bad! I knew it! He has a soft side!_

He moved back as if to return to his original seat, but smirked, and leaned in, warning, "I'm not soft, though!" before pressing his lips against hers and kissing her slowly.

Courtney's eyes widened in surprise.

_Neanderthal! How dare he?_

_It's not that bad, actually.  
_

The kiss was gentle, his lips being surprisingly soft. It was as if a huge lightning bolt had come out of the sky, penetrated the ceiling and hit Courtney in the back of the head. The sparks from the impact flew everywhere heightening each of her senses. She fought the urge to wrap her arms around him and pull him closer. She had no idea he could ever be this perfect at kissing. It was, by far, the best--

_Courtney what are you doing? Need I remind you, he was going to rob you!_

Reluctantly, Courtney pulled away. Even more reluctantly she brought here hand up and slapped Duncan across his face.

She knew that she had only put in half effort into the slapping, but she couldn't have him think that he had 'got' her or that she was now head over heels in love.

She was still tingling from the aftermath of the kiss.

He smirked.

"You know you liked it, babe," his smirk grew into a genuine smile, something Courtney hadn't seen in a long while.

_You did too._

She rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day and pruised her lips. She lightly shoved him away from her.

"Get off my bed, pig."

"Oh, so the Princess talks?"

"As a matter of fact I do, and if you ever try anything like that again, I will personally make sure that you aren't able to have kids later on in life," she threatened, raising an eyebrow.

Duncan, however, didn't even flinch, "Wouldn't that be kinda bad for you, too?"

Courtney scrunched up her nose, "You are insufferable!"

"You're not so great yourself, darling," he looked her up and down and added, "Personality wise, that is."

"Ugh! You are such a--"

"I know, I know," he scoffed hold his hands up in surrender, "and lucky for you, your favorite bad-ass criminal is going to be living with you during your entire stay at casa de juvie," he grinned suggestively.

"Don't remind me," groaned Courtney, burying her head in her hands.

Duncan studied her for a moment, "Well....there it one other alternative."

Courtney looked up confused. Could there really be a way to get around this? "And what's that?" she asked eagerly.

He grinned mischievously, "We're gonna escape, Princess."

* * *

**Uh oh! **

**Thank you all for reading!!**

**Please tell me what you think by clicking that pretty little green review button!! **

**~xo**


	12. Brawl

**Hey people! :) Sorry for not updating for quite some time. I was dealing with a bit of a writer's block, but I looked through my reviews and used an idea that a couple of you suggested. (see this is why i love when ideas are given to me, you all made this chapter possible :D) This is also one of the longest one's I've written so far, hope you like it! Please review!!  
**

**Thanks to** _Devil-in-striped-pajamas, Jynxite, Cinnamon-Sweet, Hgirl1884, ravioli-jo, xXxTDI AngelxXx , Lovestinkz35, JustHangin, alienphantom, blue, Anonymous, DamnedDivine, skatin piro21, Lilypop101 _**and**_ Princess Moonfire,_ **for reviewing my last chapter!!!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything....duh...**

**Thanks for reading!  
**

* * *

Courtney glared, "Ha, ha, very funny, Duncan," she said sarcastically.

For a moment she had gotten her hopes up, thinking that perhaps Duncan did have a liable plan.

_Don't be so naïve, he's Duncan, when has he ever had a good plan?_

He studied her for a moment, "I'm serious, Princess. Let's ditch this hellhole."

She focused on his face, trying to find some hint of him just joking around. However, his features remained serious.

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Y-you're kidding right?"

"Not at all, sweetheart," he smirked, "Oh, don't tell me the uptight, bossy Courtney is scared," he teased.

Rage rose up in the former CIT's chest, "No. I just refuse to participate in such an immature act of rebellion. This isn't some game! This is prison! It's not som--"

"Actually, this is juvie. Prison. Juvie. Big difference."

"That doesn't matter, you Neanderthal! We can't just run away!"

He rolled his eyes, "Shhhh! Jeez Princess, are you trying to wake up the entire building!?"

"Who wakes up doesn't concern me in the least. All I'm saying is that –"

One of his hands moved swiftly to cover her mouth, while the other one pushed her head closer to him swiftly, but gently. Duncan's eyes narrowed. Courtney could have sworn she saw anger flash through them, if only for a second.

"Mpphhuh!" She thrashed violently in his grip.

"Princess, calm down," his voice was stern, commanding even, reminding Courtney of the dark alleyway, "I was simply offering you a suggestion. You don't want to take it, fine, but I wont have you blowing it for the rest of us. I've broken out of here before. Trust me, its not as hard as it seems," his voice dropped a couple of octaves on the last phrase and once again Courtney had to suppress an involuntary shiver.

_How does he keep doing that?_

_And who's 'the rest of us'?_

Her struggles stopped.

His turquoise eyes bore into her Onyx ones, daring submission.

"So are you in or not?" Duncan pressed, releasing his grip on Courtney's jaw.

She ground her teeth together.

_No. He will not get to you. Not this time, Courtney. You're smarter than that._

"I want nothing to do with your stupid scheme, which is most likely to fail, criminal."

Duncan's eyes narrowed, "Fine, but if you even think of telling the warden, or anyone for that matter, you _will_ regret it," his voice dripped with venom.

"Fine," Courtney spat, shoving his weight away from her.

He growled and returned to his bunk, turning away from Courtney. Frustrated, he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands.

_Damnit, now what am I supposed to do? She was supposed to agree to escape with me._

_Maybe you didn't do a good enough job of convincing her._

_She's hard to convince then._

_Ah, it's nothing a little persuasion wont fix._

_Persuasion? _

_Threats, maybe a little brutality._

_What the fuck? You're outta you damn mind. I am not using brutality on Princess._

_I am your mind, retard. Look who's getting protective. _

_Shut the hell up._

_Do you have a better idea?_

_Not yet, but I will._

_

* * *

_

Next morning Courtney awoke to the sun's glare, shining brightly into her eyes through the small window in her cell.

She squinted, looking around groggily.

LeShawna and Gwen had returned somewhere during the night and we now huddled around LeShawna's bed along with Duncan.

Courtney sleepily picked up her head and hit it against the railing, yet again.

_How many times are you gonna hit that thing before you finally remember its there?_

With a groan, she fell back against the pillow.

Her second attempt to get up was a success and she sat on her bed, warily staring at the group.

"Mornin,'" she smiled lazily, "What's going on?"

All three people quickly swiveled around with their hands behind their backs.

"Oh...nothing," replied Gwen, awkwardly. Obviously Courtney didn't buy it.

"No, seriously," she demanded.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Princess," smirked Duncan, waving his hand in the air as if signifying the topic's unimportance.

_Oh he is **so** doing this purposely, just to annoy me, _glared Courtney.

"What are you guys doing?" She took a step forward.

"Girl, none of yo business," defended LeShawna harshly.

The teen's eyebrows raised up, but before she could do anything else the doors slid open for breakfast.

* * *

In the cafeteria, her room-mates sat together, completely ignoring Courtney.

_Angrily, she slammed her tray down onto an empty table and picked at the __ridiculous_ _slop on her plate._

It wasn't long before she heard the click of high heels and swish of short skirts behind her. Inwardly, she sneered.

_Just what I needed, a bitch-fest. Great._

Rounding her table was Heather and her posse of 3 people. One was a tall blonde girl with the biggest chest Courtney had seen in a while and the other was a brunette in glasses and dorky clothing.

She could immediately tell the first girl was a complete and total airhead and that the second girl was a socially-challenged nerd, probably just happy to get anyone as a friend.

"Courtney!" Called Heather in a sickly sweet voice, "Why are you sitting there all by yourself?"

"Save it, Heather," ordered Courtney, "I'm not in the mood for whatever you have to say."

"What? Me?" Asked Heather, feigning innocence, "You're not still mad about what happened in the showers, are you? Oh, honey, I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything I said, really."

Courtney was more than skeptical. Heather probably just wanted more people on her side.

"Yea, sure. Just leave."

"Oh come on! Come sit with us at our table. You don't need those losers!" The model think one grinned.

Courtney scoffed, "I don't wanna join your dim-witted, air-headed, wannabe followers. I'd much rather eat alone, thank you."

The niceness facade was gone in an instant, as Heather's face twisted into a menacing scowl, "Well, if you want to sit all alone like some lowlife loser, that's fine with me," she spat.

Courtney thought about this for a second. She couldn't let herself sink to the level of stupidity that was required in order to be a Heather copy. On a normal day that is. Today was far from normal. Her normal acquaintances weren't paying her the slightest bit of attention and she felt like she was missing out on some important secret that everyone besides her knew. Plus, if she stayed at the empty table, there was a good chance of someone like Marcus sneaking up on her and leering at her to no end. On the other hand, if she was to go along with Heather, she would have some people to talk to, at least for today, and she would be forced to be semi-friendly with the girl she couldn't stand.

_Keep you friends close, and your enemies closer._

_Seriously. She was all over Duncan!_

_I don't give a damn. Right now, said guy is acting as if I'm no longer in this prison. And I never liked him anyway. _

_Mhm..._

Courtney grimaced, "Alright. Fine. Just for today though."

_Out of pure desperation._

The blonde one squealed in delight, "Oh!! That's so great Carrie! Now we can talk all about shoes, and makeup, and hair, and nails, and---"

"Shut up!!" Interrupted Heather, making the blonde bite her lip, "Let's go Courtney."

Somewhat reluctantly, Courtney followed Heather to a different table, one that was in the center of the cafeteria.

The first few minutes of eating were spent in silence, aside from the blonde's, who Courtney found out was named Lindsay, endless and mindless chatter.

"So, I noticed you and Duncan were kind of cozy together," hinted Heather.

"I could say the same thing for you," replied the CIT pointedly.

Her black hair swayed and her almond eyes squinted as 'queenie' laughed, "What? That? No. See that was simply friendly flirting. You should see us when no one's watching," she bragged.

"What?" snapped Courtney.

The bubbling pang of uneasiness arose in her chest once again.

_Stop it._

_Stop what?_

_Being jealous._

_I am not--_

_Oh don't even think about denying it._

"Oh that's right!" exclaimed Heather, "Don't you like him?"

"Huh? Me? Ew, there is no way I could ever like such a wretched, horrible, delinquent,"

Heather smirked again, turning her mouth into an evil grin, "Yea, right. I see the way you look at him. It's obvious you have feelings for Duncan."

"That's absurd."

There was a slightly awkward pause that made Courtney very uncomfortable.

"Well, either way, I wouldn't get my hopes up," warned the raven haired girl.

The brunette's hands balled up into fists and her jaw clenched, "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"Oh nothing. It's just that...he looks for girls that are more...attractive. No offense," smiled Heather.

_Calm down, Courtney. Don't do anything you might regret._

The anger was evident on Courtney's face now. Her blood was pulsating quickly in her veins and she could barely keep control.

She stood up, pushing the chair she had been sitting on back with a loud squeak.

"Oh, don't leave Courtney! It's alright...not everyone can be gorgeous! It's his own fault that his standards are so high."

_Okay, that was the last straw._

"You know what Heather?" the brunette watched as her rival stood up, facing her expectantly, "Fuck you."

With that, Courtney put her hands under the plastic white tray and forcefully launched it upwards. The tray went flying through the air, making several flips as it went, and landed on Heather's silk blouse, trickling down to her suede mini skirt. The previously sexy, hot pink, shirt now appeared as if someone had thrown up all over it, lumpy oatmeal clinging to the folds. The mini skirt was better off, but there was clearly going to be a stain on the top half of fabric.

Heather's face contoured into a mixture of shock and appal before turning an unnatural red color. She left out an ear piercing high pitched scream which caused the rest of the cafeteria, that hadn't been staring yet, to get quiet.

"You bitch!" She sneered.

Shakily taking a few steps back, she launched herself at Courtney, jumping on top of her. Her nails dug into the CIT's skin, leaving long scratch marks. The heel of one shoe stabbed one of her legs.

Not missing a beat, Courtney threw a punch at Heather's gut, causing her to curl up in pain long enough for the brunette to grab a fistful of hair and yank on it as hard as humanely possible.

The raven-haired 'beauty' bashed her fists against the frame of the brunette as she, in turn, kicked the black-haired girl in the stomach repeatedly.

At this point in time both were rolling around on the floor, uncaring of all the dirt, and unaware of the large crown gathered around them, cheering them on. Both had only one goal mind, to render the other one unconscious and be deemed the winner. Both were also covered in the meal that Courtney had spilled all over Heather.

Finally, there were loud whistles and shouts coming from 3 guards, all rushing to the scene, tasers ready to go.

One grabbed a hold of Courtney and the other grabbed Heather, separating them from each other. The third guard went to work on breaking up the large crowd, which wasn't easy. Some had already begun placing bets on which of the girls would win and were extremely angered by the fact that the fight had ended before they could follow through on their betting.

Courtney was tugged back to her cell, thrown in violently, and had the door slam shut behind her.

She was exhausted. Her arms and legs ached and her whole body felt sore. She went to go sit on her bed in order to get a better look at the damage, but as soon as her head touched the pillow, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

Courtney's eyes fluttered open and she struggled to move. Her limbs seemed to be tangled up in something. What was that...a sheet? When did that get there? In her struggle against the bed cover, she managed to free one of her legs. Squirming around some more, she almost got an arm free before she felt a momentary feel of free-fall as she crashed to the ground.

"Argh," she groaned, giving up.

The brunette heard a shuffle from somewhere above her. Looking up, she saw Duncan on his bunk, trying to contain his laughter. LeShawna and Gwen were once again not there. They probably had Community Service again. Courtney was glad her hours were done after breakfast and not during the afternoon heat.

"Shut up, jerk," she had yet to forgive him for the ignorance from earlier.

"Wow, Princess, you sure know how to cause drama. That was quite a display during breakfast," he smirked, eyes shining.

"Whatever. Heather's a bitch."

"For once, I wont argue," agreed Duncan.

Courtney scoffed, "You're the one who made out with her."

He laughed, "So? Even though she's a bitch, she's a hot bitch. And besides, we both know I only did that to get you jealous."

"What?" asked Courtney appalled.

"And it worked too."

"You wish," she narrowed her eyes, still straining against the blanket.

Duncan shook his head, smirking. He jumped down from the top bed and propped Courtney against the dashboard, easily freeing her from the tangles.

"Thanks," said Courtney, approaching the dusty mirror above the sink.

Her face had a few minor scrapes, nothing too horrible. Inspecting her arms and legs, though, she was shocked at the number of large bruises and one large gash, probably from the heel of Heather's shoes. The gash was bleeding heavily and hurt.

"I need to go see the nurse, _now_," she said shakily. She was never a fan of anything remotely bloody.

"No can do, sweetheart. Thanks to your little show out there, we're all on lock down at least until tomorrow's lunch," he kneeled down in front of her, "Let me see that cut."

Moving her foot away, Courtney protested, "No. I'm fine."

"Come on Princess, I promise to be gentle," he cooed.

Unwillingly, she gave in, sitting down on a mattress and holding her leg out.

"Holy shit. That's one hell of a gash," said the mohawked teen, whistling.

He didn't have any disinfectant on him, so water would have to do. Feeling around for Courtney's bed sheet, he tore a strip of cloth off and soaked it under the sink.

The former CIT braced herself, biting down on the inside of her cheek. She hissed at the pain when Duncan began cleaning the wound.

"Sorry, I'll make this quick."

Tearing another long chuck of fabric, he made a gauze and proceeded to wrap it around Courtney's shin, her wincing every few moments.

"Oh, and just a warning, Heather's not done. She will go out of her way to make your life miserable."

"Great," she said sarcastically.

"My offer still stands."

Her mind was no longer torn. There was a clear decision and all the inner 'sane' voices combined weren't strong enough to sway her choice. There was really no point in staying where she was. Heather was out to get her, her status wasn't going to change any time soon due to her lawyer suddenly backing out, and she saw no future for herself if nothing changed.

_Did Heather hit your head too hard? You're going insane! Trying to run away would result on a longer prison sentence._

_**If** we're caught._

The brawl at breakfast had taken away any doubt there might have been. Courtney was resolute.

"As a matter of fact I think I'll take you up on that offer. Let's get out of here," she grinned.

Duncan looked surprised, to say the least. He had almost lost hope, thinking he would have to continue with out his princess.

"Glad to hear that, babe," was all he said, but he was smiling for once instead of smirking, causing Courtney's heart to jump.

She hoped the cell wasn't well enough lit for him to see her red cheeks.

As he finished tying the cloth around her leg, he smirked, "You know...there's plenty of other things I can be 'gentle' with," he winked.

"Perv!" accused the brunette, smacking him.

"Is that any way to treat your savior?"

She sniffed with disdain, "Savior? More like ruiner! My sheets are all ripped now, what am I supposed to sleep on?"

As soon as it slipped out of her mouth, she wished she was able to take the words back.

Just as she foreboded, he smiled, suggestively cocking an eyebrow, "Well, there's always my bunk. You're welcome any time, Princess."

"You're such an uncivilized, perverted, ogre!" Screeched Courtney, halfheartedly. She was beginning to get used to his antics and the nickname 'princess' didn't bother her too much anymore either.

_What's happened to you? Where's the sensible Courtney? This place is having negative effects on you._

She blocked the inner voice out.

Back in Duncan's mind, he wore a smug look.

_She **soo** digs me._

_

* * *

_

**Yay for long chapters!So...she finally relented a little :D**

**Liked it? Hated it? Please review!!!! They really keep me going!!** **(Even if they're flames...yepp flame all you want)**

**~xo**


	13. Moment Lost

**Cringe...IM SORRY!! :( :( i knoww i havent updated in like forever and a half... but i was...busy...sorta...**

**Okay not really. see heres what happened ::: so after my last update ma summer school started (ick!) then after tht i went on a vacation to Cancun and then i came home practically obsessed with mexican people (yes i realize how weird tht sounds...but dont judge, cuz if u were there with me, ud understand.....and i apologize if any of u are mexican readin this :P) and after tht i just didn't know how to continue writing it and i sorta stopped. BUT IM BACK!! (whether u like it or not :D )**

Many thanks to ::::: **alienphantom** (i dont know what beth is doing there...hmm...but noah wasn't really a Heather follower, so i figured Beth was a better choice), **CullenCrazy360 **(thnx ali!!!) , **Bombora**, **Before-I-Fall**,** tdifan**, **JustHanging**,** -clynical-** , **Jasmine**, **..**, **I'm Random**,** 13Katie**, **KillerMay **(gasp dont scare me :D), **girlbehindveil8**, **emma1gibson**, **TDI Ezekiel**, **ravioli-jo**, **DamnedDivine**, and **xXxTDI AngelxXx ...**for reviewing!!

**A****lso, im a little rusty from not writing in such a long time, so if its not quite as good as previous chapters were, sorry! oh, but i think u'll the last little tidbit i snuck in there :) oh speaking of which, those scenes are so much fun to read but writing them is so...uncomfortable? haha...makes me feel a lil dirty...espesh since i have ppl i actually kno reading it now.. cringe**

**Ugh too much babble...ok shutting up now! go read!!**

* * *

"Princess..."

"Princess?"

"Princess!"

Opening her eyes the next morning, the first thing Courtney saw was Duncan's face, a mere few inches away from her own.

She shrieked in surprise, astounded.

"W-What the hell are you doing?" she exclaimed, shoving him away from her.

"Trying to wake you up. I see it worked," he beamed.

She sighed, getting up.

The next thing that caught her attention was the loud roll of thunder coming from outside her window. She smiled slightly; she had always enjoyed rain and storms, they somehow eased and excited her at the same time.

_Maybe today wont be horrible at all._

_Yea, and maybe pigs will fly and mom'll shop at a warehouse._

_Yesterday wasn't that b--_

_ Actually, it was._

_Alright....but the day _before_ yesterday wasn't that bad!_

Even Courtney's inner pessimist couldn't argue with that; after all, that had been the day of the kiss, which despite herself, she had to admit was amazing.

Yawning widely, she stood up and began her usual morning ritual. Gwen was already up and dressed, sitting alertly on her bed; meanwhile LeShawna snored away on her's.

Turning off the tap water, she turned and faced Duncan.

"Are we still on lock-down?" she wondered outloud.

"Yep," he drawled out lazily.

Courtney's stomach let out a loud rumble.

_I'm guessing breakfast will be a little later today._

Remembering the reason for their restrictions, she looked down and rubbed the healing injury. It barely hurt anymore.

"How's...Heather?" Tentatively, she asked.

Gwen smirked, "Worse than you. Bunch of bruises, and her normally frightening face is even more hideous."

"Yea, for a chick, you can really throw punches," agreed Duncan.

A sense of pride ran briefly through her veins, followed directly by a prick of guilt.

_Perhaps the situation could have been handled in a more mature matter. A real CIT would have thought of a better way._

_Then again, it _was_ Heather...you'd need a crocodile wrangler to get her calm enough for "mature" conversation._

_

* * *

_

With out a warning, an alarm rang so loud that Courtney had the urge to cover her ears.

A grunt of disapproval could be heard from LeShawna's bunk.

"Can't a girl get some rest?" Could be made out coming from somewhere deep in her pillow along with something that sounded along the lines of : "Ya'll, I'm gonna need atleast four cups of coffee before I go anywhere."

"This is prison, Leshawna, not a five star hotel with room service," said Gwen.

"What did that sound mean?" Questioned Courtney, "Is lock-down over?"

"Not quite, it's just a reminder that we can't leave our cells."

"A friggin' loud reminder," grumbled LeShawna.

"Relax ladies," Duncan practically purred, "This just give us time to work out the arrangements,"

Courtney's eyebrows furrowed, "What arrangements?"

Fighting off the compulsion to roll his eyes, Duncan tried to explain, "You know...the special..._sleeping_ arrangements..." he hinted.

Unfortunately, it completely flew over Courtney's head, "You're such a vile pig. Do you ever get tired of being so perverted?"

He glared.

_Isn't she supposed to be smart? _

Gwen scoffed, "The plan, Courtney, the big scheme? Disposition? Get it yet?"

For some reason, as she was fishing for explanations, the former CIT kept drawing up blanks. She simply could not figure out what it was that her friends were referring to.

Finally Gwen grabbed Courtney's arm, exasperatedly, and whispered something into her ear.

Courtney's eyes widened. She had entirely forgotten about her agreement to participate in this criminal act. Memories of her promise to accompany them in the escape came flooding back.

_Focus, Courtney. It'll never work if you're not committed one hundred percent; and if it doesn't work, you get caught; and if you get caught, things will only get worse._

"Right...I knew that," she assured.

Gwen sneered, "Dense, much?"

"Anyway," interrupted Duncan, before a squabble could develop. He put a thin sheet of paper folded into 4ths down onto the small table besides Gwen. Carefully unfolding it, the two girls saw that it was a map of some sort.

"This," he waved towards the paper, "is the floor plan of this entire prison."

"How did you get this?" Asked Courtney in awe, looking over the complicated footnotes and explanations on the map.

"It was so easy, they were practically begging me to take it."

"So you stole it," she stated grumpily.

"It woulda fallen out of his pocket anyway. Whatever."

Courtney heaved a sigh, but said nothing.

But as the green haired teen described the steps necessary in order to get out, Courtney began to feel the urge to reconsider her choice more and more. The plan was beginning to look very risky and much more than what they could handle; even with the map and Duncan's expertise in breaking out.

Her feelings must have shown through to her face because a warning tone entered Duncan's voice as he scanned her features.

"You better not be having second thoughts, babe" he said.

She stayed silent, not sure what she could say that would be both truthful and not anger him.

This didn't satisfy him.

He grabbed her shoulders and shook lightly, "We _are_ going to do this, and you're coming with us whether you like or not," he stated plainly.

Reluctantly she nodded, still not feeling secure about the operation.

"It's not like I haven't done this before, and their security has only slightly improved," he added, boasting.

"Fine, fine," snapped the former CIT.

_Just shut up already._

"Anyway, as I was saying," he continued, turning back to Gwen, "The fences are gonna have to be cut ahead of time. Carrying pliers would slow us down. Don't you and LeShawna have Community Service again tonight?"

A groan was emitted from LeShawna's bed and Gwen snorted.

"Make sure one of you gets Planting and Gardening and quietly cut the wires when you're trimming the grass or bushes or whatever the hell it is that you trim."

Gwen smiled as if Duncan had just asked her to do the simplest thing ever.

"What about the security cameras?" Asked Courtney, noticing the black boxes on the map which indicated where the cameras were/

"What about them?" he threw back.

"How are you gonna deal with them?"

"We, _aren't_ going to deal with them, Princess" he corrected, "Which is why this whole thing needs to be done fast. Each person will have about 15 seconds to run across the courtyard and squeeze through 2 fences before the camera turns back and shows you to every guard on parole that night."

The CIT's eyes grew big.

_15 seconds?? Is he insane?_

_Just...think of it as a .... counselor in training camp obstacle course!_

_Right...except with cameras and big men with guns that'll shoot you if they see you._

"There's no way all 4 of us can squeeze through 2 fences after running across 200 feet of wide open space without being seen," Argued Courtney.

"One at a time...duh," snapped Gwen like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"And, speaking of which, it'll be five of us, not four," added Duncan.

"Five?"

"Yep. My main man Geoff's coming with us."

LeShawna's groan traveled down from her bunk, "Not that overly-happy, white, party boy!"

"He doesn't belong in here anyway, a little coke at a party never hurt nobody, and besides, I couldn't handle 3 whiny chicks by myself."

His response was met by a pillow, thrown harshly at his head by an angered Gwen.

Courtney mind, however, was occupied thinking of all the things that could go wrong that night.

"W-What happens if someone doesn't get through the fences on time?" her voice quivered.

Duncan shrugged, "Game over. But that wont happen as long as 'large, loud, and proud' here moves her feet as fast as she moves her mouth," he threw a glance at LeShawna's sleeping form.

"Don't make me come down there," she warned with a growl.

* * *

When the guards finally decided to let the inmates off from lock-down and into the cafeteria, the hundred hungry teens all barrelled towards the lunch room anxious to fill their ravenous stomachs.

They were met by their less than happy chef who growled at them menacingly.

"Halt!!" He roared, putting an end to the stampede at once, "Form an orderly line **now**, and sit yer butts down once you get yer food! This ain't the zoo here!" His face was turned up in a scary grimace and all complied at once.

The storm had not let up in the least, and in the quiet of the room the sound of the wind, smashing, howling against the stone walls of the prison, penetrated the silence. The dusty windows near the ceiling showed voluminous, dark purple clouds looming above them.

As everyone was sitting down with their mushy food, the lights flickered; the flashing lightning seemed like it was striking the roof of the building and the booming thunder literally shook the floors.

It was evident to Courtney that Gwen and LeShawna wouldn't get the chance to cut through the fences, setting them back a day. Truthfully, she didn't really mind. The thought of actually escaping left a feeling of butterflies in her stomach.

Gwen was talking about some sort of punk-rock group, but the CIT tuned her out, standing up to get a napkin.

She briefly looked around seeing if she could catch a glimpse of Heather, a bit apprehensive that the girl would try to get revenge for what happened yesterday. Not finding her in the crowd, she walked toward the napkin tray.

The split second her hand reached the rough fabric, the lights suddenly flashed off, pummeling her into complete darkness.

The crowd gave a roar mixed of shock and excitement.

As her eyes tried to focus, Courtney found that she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, much less make her way back to the table.

She was unsure of what to do when she felt a definite presence behind her.

Standing stock-still, she held her breath, not wanting to make a single sound.

_Aren't there backup generators? Why the hell aren't those coming on?_

She felt a hand sliver its way around her waist and a palm was pressed up against her mouth.

Her forehead broke out in cold sweat; the violent storm didn't seem as calming as it did before.

Maybe Marcus had come back to try his luck once more.

Or possibly another inmate saw the sudden darkness as an opportunity to strike.

Or could it be Heather? Coming back to kill her with her blood-red, perfectly manicured nails.

Either way, Courtney had no desire to find out. Mustering her strength, she attempted to break free of the grasp around her waist. She made it about 4 feet before her captor reeled her back in, chuckling.

"Ah, come on Princess, don't leave me!" Said a low voice.

_Duncan._

"You dim-witted criminal, let me go, right now!" She growled back, struggling against his hold, but very relieved that it was no one worse than him.

"But what fun would that be? And besides, I know you've fantasized about something like this for a long time, babe,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she spat, struggling a little less.

"You know...a dark room...just you and me...so close together...maybe a bed-"

"In your dreams, asshole," Courtney squirmed away from him, interrupting. His warm breath was tickling her lower neck.

"Don't worry, you know you are," he gently kissed a sensitive spot on her neck, making her breath hitch in her throat.

"Stop it, Duncan! Get away from me," she tried to make her voice come out fierce, but it sounded half-hearted.

"Why are you so stubborn, Princess?" he murmured, running a finger up and down her upper arm, "I know you want me."

Deep inside, she knew it was true, but never would she admit it, especially not to him.

_Look at you! You're just like the rest of the girls that throw themselves at him, unable to resist his stupid "charm."_

"D-Don't flatter yourself," she resisted.

One hand was soothingly massaging her shoulder while the other stroked her neck, the sensation making her go crazy.

She wanted to be able to break free from his grasp, but had no strength. She couldn't think or concentrate on anything. Her mind was in complete fog.

Somewhere in the back of her head there was a little voice telling her how wrong this was, but a much bigger part of her never wanted the lights to come back on.

He kept taunting her, kissing her forehead, cheeks and nose, but never her lips. She couldn't hold back a small squeak of disappointment when he just barely missed her mouth once again and felt him smirk victoriously against her neck.

"Told ya so..." he softly taunted, nuzzling his nose against the back of her ear.

Unable to contain herself, her back arched slightly in response. She heard his throaty laugh.

After what seemed like forever, he finally faced her once more.

Hesitatingly, Courtney opened her eyes and found that she could make out his face in the darkness. He was staring at her with an expression that she couldn't place as one she had ever seen on his face before.

His eyes bored into her with intensity and his lips held a small smile.

Unfortunately, his lips were the only part Courtney found herself able to focus on. She couldn't break her gaze away. The urge to kiss him was so strong, it was almost as if the force was pulling her in and she could do nothing but comply.

Despite her proper self, she leaned closer, now just a mere two inches away from his face. Just as her eyes were about to close and her lips about to touch his, the back-up generator kicked in, flashing the bright lights back on.

Shrieking in surprise, Courtney jumped back, mouth agape.

Her features then changed, mouth turning down into a pout and brows frowning, momentarily, at the fact that the moment was lost.

Shakily, she stood up and marched back to her seat as thunder gave the loudest rumble yet.

* * *

**Hehe... please review? puppy eyes**

**Thankx for reading!!!! and i know tht a couple ppl will probly ask for a Duncan POV ... and hmm...im not sure..but maybe i will do one. Maybe.**

**~xoxo**

* * *


	14. So Much More

**Heyy** you guys... crickets chirp .....

**Okayyy** so i might've been sorta ... gone... for a while, but i have now returned!! and this AN's gonna be a little longer just cuz I have a lot to say. Okay, so

**1) first of all** - im sorry!! I completely forgot about this story thing. Between school and gymnastics and cheerleading, there rly isnt a lot of time left to write.

**2) second of all** - im a little rusty on the writing, so please excuse this chapter if its rly bad. (:

**3) third** - you guys are fucking amazing! 142 reviews?? ..happy. (: (:

**4) fourth** - ive been getting some questions about this and no, not all of the TDA/TDI characters will be incorporated into the prison...i mean..yu want them to actually get out, right?? but, they might appear later, outside the prison helping our main ppl along the way. (:

**5) fifth** - i promised (well not rly, but w/e) a POV of Duncan, and i did one (:

**6) sixth** - i feel like theres too much sap and not enough plot in this thing. so..courtney will be a bit bitchier later on. oh nd plus i watched the recent TDA episode and .... wow....she is outta control.... i hate her character now and i sorta wish i hadnt seen it, cuz i think it messes with the person i think shes supposed to be in ma head...and yea.....messing with a blondes head isnt good... (:

k i think thts it... OMG no 6 is a bad number... (wow...superstitious much?)

**sooo 7) seventh - Happy Turkey Day!!! (: anddd did anyone see new moon? my opinion? well okay, but only since yu asked ;) Taylor Lautner...oh goodness... the scene in the rain made me VERY happy. Robert Pattinson? uhm...(okay let the bashing begin) hairy...kinda blubber-ish...and was it just me or was one nipple either a) deformed or b) bigger than the other?? but yea..the actual movie...not so crazy about it, but id watch it 5 mor times for taylors body (: (: (:**

kk reviewers time** - a huge thanks to - **_totaldramaisland4ever, emma1gibson, lovestinkz35, 13katie, Innocent Wave, xXxTDI AngelxXx, AnimeAddict2323232, Princess Tikal Calafiore, Speilberg girl, CullenCrazy360, Hypocritically Her, ravioli-jo, fcktherulesx3, alienphantom, I'm Random(x2), Bombora, sk8tin piro21, JustHanging, xheartbreak-yourheartsfake, girlbehindveil8, -clynical-, Sarah Lalanne, strayphoenix(x5), Volcano_Jumper, CarmillaD(x7), PurpleRain105, EdwardCullenRocksMySoxs, and PiaPenelope. _

* * *

Duncan watched as Courtney walked away, dazed. He had finally gotten her to take down the stubborn wall she seemed to have up between her and him, and it felt pretty damn good.

_So all it takes is a little persuasion to get in Princess' pants. How convenient. _

_ Ahuh...cause that's all you want...right? To get in her pants and be done with her?_

_ Of course that's all I want...what else would I need?_

His mind traveled to the way she looked when he gently kissed her neck. Eyes closed, lips pruised to keep any 'inappropriate' sounds from slipping through. He knew a part of her had still been resisting, not wanting to seem weak or to give in; but as he worked his hand into her shoulder, massaging away her fear, he felt her relax and the remaining tension leave her body.

He had glanced once more at her unmoving form, he gazed, awestruck. She had looked so beautiful that words like 'hot' and 'sexy' couldn't even come close to describing it. It was completely breath-taking.

_Could you sound any sappier?_

_Yea_,_ man. Focus. Stick to the plan. In her pants and out. She's just another girl, _he had to remind himself.

Courtney's eyes had slowly opened, as if demanding an explanation for the sudden halt. The large onyx eyes looked at his, attempting to read what was on his mind.

_It's so easy. Just go for it. _

For once, Duncan completely ignored his inner voice and simply stared back at her, a strange new feeling entering his chest. It was like someone had cut off the oxygen flow into his lungs and he had to work twice as hard to breathe normally.

He saw her face slowly and a bit apprehensively draw near his. Her eyes had flashed onto his one last time, wide and innocent, but lust-filled at the same time, before subconsciously closing, lips millimeters away from his.

He stayed still, letting her take all the time she needed.

As she mustered the courage to close the space between them, she drew in a small breath letting go of all her morals entirely; Duncan's pants felt extremely tight. He was beginning to enjoy power outages quite a lot. When her head tilted the remaining space, the world stood still, and right as their lips were about to touch, the backup generator had decided to kick in.

_God_ _dammit!!_

Courtney leaped back in alarm, returning to her senses. There was a definite frown on her face and disappointment clouded her eyes, replacing the previous passion.

Swiftly, she turned around and walked away.

He felt completely unsatisfied, almost as if she had teased him until he could no longer contain himself, and then left, not fulfilling any desire whatsoever.

_Wasn't that what _you_ were trying to do to _her_? _

He smirked, looking back where she had stood before.

_Damn,_ s_he's __**so**__ much more than just another fucking girl._

_

* * *

_

Courtney sat back down at the table, mind mulling over the previous events.

Her eyes traced Duncan as he made his way back. She hadn't gotten a chance to kiss him, and she had to admit that she wanted to. Badly.

_You are a stupid, young, naïve, inexperienced girl that succumbs to lust at every possibility you get._

_ And I don't give a damn. _

Knowing looks were exchanged between Gwen and LeShawna who smiled secretly at each other. Courtney had to keep herself from rolling her eyes.

She knew that it was wrong to feel this way, but she also knew that it was just a part of being a normal teenager, something she hadn't gotten a lot of chances to be before this.

Every phrase that was said somehow reminded her of kissing, making it impossible to concentrate. Every move someone made reminded her of how Duncan touched her just moments ago. All of this was driving her crazy.

"Wow...that blackout was pretty massive..."

_...and fun. Very, very, fun. _

"I have a sudden urge to go to the bathroom. Excuse me."

_...and I have a sudden urge to kiss Duncan._

".....so we really need to go over the plan for tomorrow night again."

_...right. And maybe we could throw in a little making out here and there.. _

Until she couldn't take it any longer.

_ Enough!!! Get a hold of your hormones, Courtney!_

Snapping out of her daze, Courtney attempted to focus more on the conversation at hand, but found she simply couldn't and, groaning, she stood up, threw away the rest of her food, and walked away.

In the evening, the sky had remained in an overcast, but the rain had stopped and the ground had dried significantly.

Gwen, LeShawna, and the rest of the inmates on duty that night were rushed outside for their share of community service.

Meanwhile, Duncan and Courtney remained in their cell with an unexplainable silence hanging in the air.

The CIT paced nervously around the tiny room. At that very moment, LeShawna and Gwen were probably cutting through the wires, leading them one step closer to the escape. Courtney couldn't help but worry about them being caught.

Of course, there was an entirely separate reason that caused her to feel uncomfortably jittery and unable to sit still. Her desire to feel Duncan's warm lips press against her own had only grown since breakfast, becoming almost uncontrollable She had given up yelling at herself over an hour ago, finally admitting that it was doing absolutely no good. Her eyes flickered to Duncan who was busily carving a skull into the wall of his bunk-bed.

_How did he sneak that knife in here?_

He smirked, feeling her eyes on his figure. He was just waiting for some fiery comment about vandalizing that would cause another argument, preferably leading to a hot and steamy make out session.

"Like what you see, darlin'?"

"Right..." she half-heartily brushed him off, blushing.

He cocked an eyebrow, something seemed different about his Princess. No fighting? No name-calling? Something was definitely up.

He set his blade down and turned, mouth still set in a small smile.

"_What _are you staring at?" She snapped, suddenly iffy.

"Tsk. Defensive, are we?" he provoked, "Mad you couldn't resist me earlier?"

Courtney tried to ignore the sound of his warm, low voice.

"Aw, don't feel bad, Princess," he taunted, "I have yet to meet a girl that could."

She rolled her eyes, desperately trying not to cave in to the invisible tension pulling her towards him. She feared that if she started, she wouldn't be able to stop.

_ You are in need of some serious help. _

_ Like I couldn't tell._

But she also felt a slight disappointment at Duncan's choice of words. He had yet to meet a girl that could?

_ See I told you, you mean nothing to him._

"Hello? ...Sweetheart? Earth to Princess!" He waved a hand back and forth in front of her eyes.

Staring at his face, she tried to look at something other than his lips. His eyes were captivating as ever, but the magnetic force dragged her gaze to his lips again.

Finally, she had had enough. She shook her head, resolute. It wasn't like there was any more dignity to lose anyway.

_You can't keep torturing yourself like this. Just get him out of your system and be done with it already!_

Looking at him sternly she said, "This doesn't mean I like you or want you or anything remotely close to that, ogre. You still repulse me in every way possible, so don't even consider thinking of this as anything more than what it is. It. Means. Nothing."

Without pausing for a response and without taking in his slightly confused look, Courtney grabbed the collar of his black skull shirt and pulled him closer, relishing the feeling when his astonished lips touched her soft ones.

This was far from the soft and gentle kiss they had shared last time. Courtney made sure to show that she was the one in charge this time. The anticipation and lust poured into the kiss, making it aggressive and full of passion.

Duncan's eyes widened for a second before he smirked and returned the kiss with just as much force, hands placed softly on Princess' hips. He liked this side of her even more, but something told him to still be 'disciplined' as he didn't to push her into anything.

But as the minutes went by, he realized that she was probably up for anything and everything right about then, so as she let a small gasp slip through her teeth, he seized to moment to run his tongue along her teeth, and enter her mouth. He was met by her tongue, and the two battled it out, fighting for dominance. When it seemed that Duncan had finally won, Courtney surprised him once again by shifting her weight suddenly and flipping so that she was the one on top.

He let out a small chuckle.

_So Princess __**does**__ have a dark side._

Courtney's heart was pounding out of her chest. She was on fire. She couldn't think about anything. There was only a dumb, dull, blackness buzzing around her head. Sort of like a hangover, but countless times better. Her only goal was to win the game of lust they were both playing so passionately.

The two continued their wrestling match, neither of them having had enough. They traveled from the wall which Duncan was pushing Courtney up against, to the bed. But finding it uncomfortable to both fit under a bunk bed, they ended up on the floor, rolling around as one gained the top position.

After what seemed like the shortest 30 minutes in history, and to her dismay, Courtney was beginning to get tired. The constant moving and lack of oxygen was wearing her out.

When he felt her actions slow, Duncan smirked triumphantly, considering himself the winner, and Courtney was only slightly irked by this. She pulled back looking him in the eyes. Her lips were slightly puffy and contained a small smile, and her expression was the calmest he had seen on her since they got there. Softly, she nestled her head into his shoulder as he held her tight. Smiling once more to herself and letting out a sigh, she couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy. Completely relaxed, calm and secure. It was almost as if something more than impromptu make out sessions with Duncan _could_ work out.

Thinking about this caused her to slowly float back to reality. Even if she felt she wasn't ready yet. The feeling was too good to let go so quickly, and so, doing herself a notable favor, she refused to think about it... for the time being.

Snuggling closer into Duncan's chest, Courtney fell asleep.

* * *

Giggle "Just look at them!"

"Shhh!!"

"I knew they both had the hots for each other -"

"Hush."

"- and gurl, when LeShawna says it -"

"Shut. Up. You'll wake them!"

" - it's _always_ true!"

"Yea and loud!"

Opening one eye, Courtney saw LeShawna and Gwen sitting across from them and obviously discussing what they were seeing.

"A little too late for that," she grumbled to Gwen, pushing herself off of Duncan's form.

_Aw! He looks so cute when he's sleeping!_

_ Alright, Court. You've successfully gotten him out of your system, out of your desires, and most definitely, **out** of your mind._

_ Right. Completely gone. He's just a ...business partner, of sorts, now._

Courtney stood up, angry about being awoken, and crossed her arms. What the hell were they doing back so fast anyway? Her body felt sore and her lips were certainly bruised. Overall, she just felt extremely cranky that the high had only last for an hour.

_Welcome back to reality._

She looked at Gwen and LeShawna expectantly, choosing to focus entirely on getting out of the hell-hole, as she put her mind into command mode.

"Well?" the commanding tone had entered her voice.

LeShawna cocked an eyebrow, "'Well' what, white girl?" All evidence of previous excitement was gone from her face as she was reminded how bossy the mocha-haired girl could be.

"Did you rig the fence or not?" she said like it should have been obvious.

_I should have just done it myself. After all, that _is _the best way to get things done._

"Isn't that something we should be discussing with Duncan?" Questioned Gwen.

"Yea, Courtney, he _is_ the leader of this whole thing," agreed LeShawna.

The teen scoffed, "Excuse me? I am just as much a leader in this as Duncan is!"

"You?" growled Gwen, "_You_ were the one who almost backed out yesterday! I'd say you're the biggest threat to us being exposed right now!"

"Goth chick's got a point."

"But I'm the one with previous CIT training!" Courtney almost whined. She hated not being in charge of things, and backing down seemed irrational at this point. And she had thought Gwen and her were on good terms before, why was she suddenly acing like this?

Gwen let out a harsh laugh. "CIT training? This isn't some stupid camp exercise! A lot is resting on this."

LeShawna nodded. She might have felt bad about making this harder for Courtney, but that uptight bossy snob was just too fun to anger sometimes.

Letting out an angry shriek, Courtney threatened, "You wanna see something else 'camp exercises' have taught me?" and got ready to launch at Gwen.

"Oh yea? Bring it!"

Luckily, Duncan chose this excellent moment to wake up and jump off his cot, bracing Courtney against himself to keep her from attacking.

"Ladies, ladies! Let's all just calm down," a sickly kind and caring tone entering his voice, "I'm sure we're all feeling a lit-"

"Ugh," interrupted Courtney, making a disgusted face and brushing Duncan's hands off her torso, "let go of me."

"She started it!" Yelled Gwen, who still looked seething mad.

"Did not! You shouldn't have been questioning my leadership skills!"

"Oh please, we all know that -!"

"Don't even finish that -!"

"Enough!" Duncan's voice was elevated. Controlling two revenge-seeking girls wasn't one of his talents, "Both of you just shut up! I don't want to know what happened. I don't care who started it. Just be quiet so we can talk about something useful, like Gwen and LeShawna's Community Service today," he was beginning to feel like he was baby-sitting his neighbor's loud twins again.

Both of the girls stomped off and sat on their bunks grumpily, shooting each other death glances.

Seeing that both of them were useless, Duncan rolled his eyes and turned to LeShawna, hoping she could provide him with a recount of the day. Thankfully she did so with no other comments.

"Plain and simple, Heather's coming."

"What?!!!!!" Duncan and Courtney both yelled.

"Either that, or she'll snitch."

"Can't you get anything done right?" Exasperatedly sighed Courtney.

Ignoring her, LeShawna continued, "We got Gardening like you told us to, but Heather beat us to the pliers. After Gwen threatened to shave her head in her sleep, she handed them over, but that skinny white girl kept watching us like a hawk. When she turned her back we started cutting, but she came out of nowhere and saw everything. We either told her, or she told on us."

Courtney heart leapt up in fear and apprehensiveness.

_I will never sleep with my eyes closed again._

She knew Heather would probably hold a grudge for the rest of her life, and there would be no way Courtney would be off so easy next time. True, she could probably take on the half-asian girl again, but it definitely wasn't something she would look forward to. One giant cut from a high heeled shoe was quite enough for one life time.

Duncan let out a low whistle, mulling things over in his mind.

_Ain't nothing you can do bout it now. Guess the hot bitch's coming._

He sighed, "Man am I glad Geoff's coming with me."

* * *

**Review and comment please, even if you hated ittt thankyu so much (: **

**~xo.**


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